Because of a Broken Down Car
by Lastande Sarie
Summary: COMPLETE! Please R&R. Jonas Brothers fan fic turned Camp Rock fan fic.....Lacey hates driving her dad's car, but when it breaks down she meets someone completely unexpected. Such a small thing as the car breaking down changes her whole life around!
1. Chapter 1

"I hate this stupid car." Lacey had lost count of how many times she'd said those words in the last half hour. She quickly shifted back to first gear and started the car again, then gunned it through the intersection, still muttering to herself. If her older sister hadn't gotten a flat tire and taken her own car into the mechanic's and as a result had to borrow the family sedan for work, then Lacey could have used that car. Instead, she was stuck with her dad's car. That wasn't such a bad thing, except that it was kind of old and temperamental, and if you didn't have just the right touch, it didn't like to do just about anything you actually wanted it to.

Lacey definitely did not have the right touch.

She gritted her teeth when she had to slow to a stop again. She was on her way to work, and now was just getting ready to turn onto the road where the ice cream parlor was located. After looking both ways at the four way stop to make sure no one else was coming, Lacey oh-so-carefully let up on the clutch and put her foot on the gas.

Stall. Again.

Lacey was ready to scream, but she took a deep breath and reached for the key. _Just a few more minutes, you're almost there, Lacey_, she thought, attempting a self-pep talk. She turned the key. The car made a noise like it was getting ready to start, and then nothing. Lacey tried again a couple more times, but it seemed as though the car was going to win this round.

"Gah!" she shouted and slammed her hands against the steering wheel. Words couldn't express the frustration that Lacey felt at the moment. She tucked a few loose strands of her shoulder length blond hair behind her ear and then simultaneously looked in the rearview mirror and turned on her emergency flashers. "Oh great," Lacey grumbled. There was another car coming up behind her. And it didn't look like the kind of car that would break down at a stop sign. Probably whoever was in the car would get out and start yelling at her. Lacey reached for her purse which was on the floor in front of the passenger seat, and opened it to take out her cell phone. Before she had, Lacey heard someone walk up next to her window. She turned, a defense ready on her lips.

Before she could say anything, she heard, "Do you need some help?" The guy who had bent down to be on her level had his hand resting on the top of the car. His curly brown hair falling over his forehead and hint of a sympathetic smile gave him a charming, boyish appearance. Quite contrary to being angry with her for taking up the road, he didn't seem to be upset at all. Lacey sighed; at least he wasn't mad, but why did she have to have car trouble in front of a cute guy? That would be her luck today.

"Um, I can't get the car to start," Lacey replied and immediately felt like kicking herself for stating the obvious, but instead she forced a smile. "I work right over there," she pointed to the ice cream parlor, "and I was on my way there when my dad's car decided to break down."

The guy smiled wider and said, "Ah, yes, I know how cars can be. Hang tight; I'm gonna go get my brothers to help push your car into the parking lot." He started to walk away, calling over his shoulder, "Keep trying to start it, though!"

With another sigh, this time a sigh of relief, Lacey did as he had said. The car still didn't start, and Lacey felt like hitting something. She took a few deep breaths and tried again to start the car. No go. This just wasn't her day. She tried to calm down so she wouldn't lose her temper in front of these guys who were now approaching her car.

"I guess you couldn't get it started again, huh?" the first guy asked, bending down so he could talk to her through the window. When Lacey shook her head in obvious disappointment, he smiled sympathetically. "Well, have no fear, the Grey brothers are here!" He grinned when Lacey laughed and added, "I'm Nate, and these are my brothers Jason and Shane."

"I'm Lacey," she replied, still smiling.

"Well, Lacey," Jason spoke up, stepping closer to the car. "If you want to slide over into the passenger seat, then I'll steer while my brothers push."

"Wait, hey, how come you get to ride while we do the hard work?" Shane questioned.

Nate nodded emphatically, adding his own two cents: "Yeah, I'm the youngest, I shouldn't have to push the car. I might get hurt."

Lacey was now doubled over with laughter as she moved over into the passenger seat and Jason was shaking his head at her with a look of mock-exasperation on his face. "What can ya say?" he said. Then he opened the door and sank into the driver's seat before his brothers could say another word. "Okay, guys, let's go!"

With a lot of grumbling, Shane and Nate began to push the car while Jason maneuvered it into the parking lot and into a space in front of the ice cream parlor. He pulled out the keys and handed them to Lacey. "This spot okay?" he asked.

"Oh, yes," Lacey replied, taking the keys and slipping them into a pocket of her purse.

"Good answer! I wasn't going to push this car another foot!" Nate spoke up from right outside her window. The smile on his face belied his words.

Lacey opened her door and stood up, slinging her purse over her shoulder. "You guys are great. Thank you so much, I was on the verge of freaking out." She grinned around at all of them. "Will you come inside? I'll give you each a free sundae for your help!"

"Well, if free ice cream is in the equation, count me in," Shane piped up.

"You mean if _any_ ice cream is in the equation, don't you?" Jason teased. Everyone laughed when Shane made a face back, but didn't say anything. "Just let me go get our car," Jason pointed to where it was still sitting on the side of the road, "and park it and then I'll be in."

Lacey led the way into the ice cream parlor, Shane and Nate following closely behind. She pointed them to seats at the bar and went to put her stuff away and clock in for work. Since it was the middle of the week, it was likely to be a slow afternoon, so there was only her and one other girl there. Becky was already out front serving people, so Lacey explained the situation to her as soon as she had clocked in.

"All right, guys, you know what you want?" she asked as Jason settled onto his own barstool next to his brothers. "Pick any item from the menu, it's on me."

"Seriously?" Nate asked, eyes wide as he studied the menu. "Anything at all?"

He looked so much like a little kid in a candy shop – or in this case, ice cream parlor – that Lacey couldn't help laughing again. "Yes, seriously, anything at all."

After a few minutes, the guys had finally sorted out what they wanted and Lacey fixed it for them and served them. She continued to chat with them as she cleaned up the front counter a little bit. All too soon, they had finished their ice cream and were preparing to leave. Lacey, being a good actress, was able to hide her disappointment completely and merely smiled and waved nonchalantly. "Thanks again for your help, and come back anytime!"

The brothers waved back and then they were gone. Lacey sighed and turned her attention fully to her work. She couldn't believe how her luck turned around so fast. At first her day was going so horribly – but then again if it hadn't, she would never have met the Grey brothers. If only she knew why they looked so familiar to her…

"Lacey," Becky interrupted her thoughts, hands on her hips and a pointed look on her face, "Don't you know who they were?"

"What do you mean?" Lacey asked. "Do you know them?"

"Of course I know them. Those were the Grey brothers!"

Lacey nodded blankly, not sure what Becky's point was. "Yeah…" She shrugged. "So?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Becky asked, appalled. She pulled a CD out from under the counter and handed it to Lacey. "Take this home and listen to it. Those guys are _the_ Grey brothers, of Connect Three."

Lacey looked down at the CD case in her hand and suddenly felt extremely stupid.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lacey decided not to even try to drive the car home after work that night. She called her sister to come pick her up and gathered her things. She slipped the CD Becky had let her borrow into her purse, being freshly reminded as she did so of her own stupidity earlier. There really was no excuse for not knowing who they were, except that Lacey didn't really get into the whole pop culture music scene like most people her age.

When she reached home that evening, she stuck the CD into her player and sat down at her desk to draw. She merely stared at the blank sheet of paper in front of her, letting herself relax as the music started. A small smile stretched the corners of her mouth. She liked the snappy guitar at the beginning of the song and the harmony in the chorus. Lacey found herself bobbing her head slightly as she continued to try to think of something to draw.

An hour later, the CD had played through and started over again and Lacey leaned back, stretching her stiff muscles. She looked at her drawing with her head cocked to the side and smiled. It wasn't like her normal drawings. Usually she drew pretty scenery or still-life drawings of fruit or flowers. This was a drawing of an electric guitar leaning on an amp. It wasn't exactly beautiful, but Lacey knew it was a good drawing with style and she liked it. It portrayed an image of music that was either ready to be played, or had just been played. She signed the bottom of it and dated it before pinning it to her corkboard. She stretched again and headed downstairs in search of food.

"Hey, Lace," her older sister Jenna greeted her as she entered the kitchen. Jenna was sitting at the table with a book and a glass of milk in front of her.

"Hey." Lacey opened the refrigerator and grabbed an apple before going to the cabinet to grab some peanut butter. "What are you reading?"

"Oh, just reading _Dawn_ again." Jenna laughed. She always read her favorite books over and over again – it was one of the many things that the two sisters had in common. "What have you been up to? Drawing?"

Lacey nodded and took a bite of a slice of apple with peanut butter. She took her plate of apple over to the table to sit across from her sister. "Yeah, I drew something a little different this time."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Lacey shrugged. "I was listening to this CD that Becky let me borrow and it had electric guitar in it. So I drew one."

Jenna was interested. "An electric guitar?"

"And an amp." Lacey grinned at her sister. "Like I said, it's a little different that usual, but I think it's really good."

"What CD were you listening to?" Jenna asked, looking slightly surprised. "Stuff with electric guitar isn't usually your type – you're more into piano and violin stuff."

Lacey laughed and shrugged again. "Usually I am, yeah. But Becky let me borrow this CD of a band called Connect Three." She decided to leave out the details of her own dumb moment earlier. "They're pretty cool."

"Oh, I've heard of them," Jenna replied, her eyes lighting up. "They're getting pretty big, actually. They have a new CD coming out soon and they'll be here for a concert in a few nights."

"Oh, yeah?" Lacey smiled. The CD was fun to listen to; the concert would probably be a lot of fun.

"Yeah. It's sold out already, though, can you believe it?"

So much for that idea. "Wow, they must be pretty big, then." Lacey finished off her apple and yawned. "Well I think I'm going to take a shower and hit the hay."

"Sleep well." Jenna smiled and returned her attention to her book as Lacey put her plate in the sink and headed upstairs.

- - - - -

The next day Jenna got her car back all repaired, so Lacey had access to the family sedan once again. She was relieved about that. She had to work again and it was a little bit busier than the previous night, but still not a significant crowd. Since the next day was Friday, the ice cream parlor would be open later and Lacey knew it would be busier. But for now, she was able to enjoy another quiet evening at home. She played the Connect Three CD again while she caught up on her email.

In the middle of an email she was writing, she heard a knock on her door. "Come in!" she called and turned the music down low.

"Lacey," Jenna said, entering the room excitedly, "this is really crazy. You know that band we were talking about yesterday?"

"Connect Three?" Lacey asked, nodding at her CD player.

"Yeah." Jenna plopped onto Lacey's bed and grinned. "Well, I happen to possess two tickets to their concert on Saturday night."

"What? How did you get them? I thought they were sold out." Lacey was mildly interested. Even though she wasn't normally into pop music as much as her peers, this Connect Three CD was really catchy and she was enjoying the music.

"They were! They had a karaoke contest at work and I won them." Jenna laughed. "I thought it was such a great coincidence since we were just talking about it last night. But anyway, you have Saturday night off, right?" Lacey nodded and Jenna continued, "You want to go to this concert together?"

"Sure! It would probably be a lot of fun. Their music is certainly fun to listen to."

Jenna stood and walked over to the doorway. "Good, it's a date. I'll see you Saturday, then, because you get back late tomorrow night and I'll probably already be in bed." She turned to go and then looked over her shoulder. "By the way, I like your picture." Jenna pointed at the guitar picture, grinned, and then walked out.

After she was gone, Lacey turned the music up a little louder and started dancing. She knew she was acting slightly crazier than she normally did, but that was the kind of music it was. You just had to dance to it. Especially if you knew you were going to a concert to hear it live in just two days.

Lacey grabbed her hairbrush and lip synched, "An empty room can be so loud…"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was late. Lacey was ready to go home. Unfortunately, the ice cream parlor didn't close for another twenty minutes. Right now there was only one couple sitting at a table, so Lacey began doing the cleanup up front, since that's where she would be stuck for the rest of the night. She began wiping down the counter and was just stifling a yawn when the little bell on the front door jingled, letting her know someone had entered. Lacey pasted a smile on her face and turned to greet the customer.

Her smile turned completely genuine when she saw who it was.

"Nate, hey!" she greeted him cheerfully, setting aside the rag she was using to wipe the counter and grabbing a paper towel to dry her hands.

"Hi," Nate replied, also smiling. "Have you been stuck here since Wednesday?" he teased.

Lacey laughed. "Oh, no, my sister gave me a ride home and since she got her car back, I can use the family car. My dad can keep his car – I definitely don't want it!" She tucked some stray hair behind her ear, realizing as she did so that she probably looked a mess since it had been a frazzling kind of evening, and leaned on the counter. "Anyway, what can I get for you?"

"I'm dying for something cold. My throat is killing me," Nate answered, settling onto a stool at the counter and rolling his eyes dramatically.

Lacey began to recite, "Well, our special tonight is Turtle Brownie – a double chocolate brownie covered in vanilla ice cream and smothered with—"

"Actually," Nate interruped, holding up one hand, "before you waste any time or breath, you should probably know that I can't eat sugar."

"That's not a problem," Lacey answered, not missing a beat. "We have sugar free brownies, ice cream – well, just about everything." She didn't ask any questions, but she suddenly remembered that he _had_ had sugar free ice cream the other day. Turning her attention back to Nate, Lacey noticed he still looked indecisive. She leaned forward conspiratorially and said with a smile, "You wanna know what my favorite is?" After Nate nodded, Lydia continued. "I love the peanut butter fudge ice cream. Sometimes I like chocolate syrup on it and sometimes not. Sometimes I add peanut butter cups or whatever, but it's super good plain." Lacey finished with a dramatic sigh and closed eyes.

"Okay, you've sold me on it," Nate laughed. "Just make sure it's sugar free," he reminded.

"So how has your day been?" Lacey asked conversationally as she scooped his ice cream.

"Oh, fine. Just busy." Nate shrugged and looked around at the old pictures on the walls. "You know. But how about you? Guess you were glad not to have to drive that car, your dad's?"

"You have no idea," Lacey agreed, setting the ice cream in front of Nate and accepting his money. She gave him back his change and continued wiping the counter while he ate. "We were so busy tonight. Insane. Friday nights are usually busy, but tonight…wow. I've never been more ready to go home."

"Am I keeping you?" Nate asked.

"Oh, no, no, you're fine," Lacey was quick to assure him. "We don't close for another," she glanced at the clock, "sixteen minutes anyway. You have plenty of time to eat your ice cream."

A comfortable silence fell. Lacey concentrated on cleaning, humming to herself as she did so, and Nate watched her while he ate. The older couple got up to leave and Lacey bid them a cheerful goodnight before going to wipe all the tables. She was happy – as long as no one else came in, she should be able to have the cleaning all finished at closing time and leave shortly after that. After she wiped the tables she went to grab the broom from the little supply closet behind the counter. She heard the bell jingle again and sighed. Of course someone would come in five minutes before closing time. Murphy's law.

Lacey stepped out of the closet, setting the broom and dustpan aside, and turned to greet whoever had come in. There were a couple of guys standing at the counter, looking at the menu and talking quietly between themselves. Lacey stepped over to the counter and greeted them.

"Hi, how can I help you guys?" She wished she had had the chance to get out the mop bucket and the wet floor sign because then they would know that it was closing time. Oh well.

"Hey," said one of the guys, flashing a smile in her direction. He was the taller one with brown hair. "I want the special."

"Me, too," said the other guy, who was a little bit shorter and had black hair. Then he added, "What time do you close?"

Hoping that he was asking because he cared and that the guys would take their ice cream and clear out, Lacey answered, "We close at 11:30 – in five minutes, actually."

"Cool. What are you doing afterward?" the first guy asked in a friendly voice, leaning against the counter.

"Going home," was Lacey's polite response. She didn't look up from fixing their order, but she really hoped they wouldn't press the matter. This wasn't the first time they'd been in here. They were never unfriendly, but Lacey didn't feel like dealing with them tonight. It was late and she was tired.

"You want to hang out for a while?"

Lacey wasn't sure which of them asked the question since she had her back to them. She shook her head. "No, thanks."

"Aw, you never do. When are you going to get out and have a little fun?"

"Tomorrow night," Lacey quipped, "with my sister." She smiled blandly as she gave them their orders and told them their total.

"You really should hang out with us sometime," said the guy with the brown hair while he handed over the money.

Lacey didn't reply, just counted out their change and handed it to them. "You guys have a good night." She tried to hint nicely that she would very much like for them to leave right now.

"You sure you can't come tonight?" pressed the shorter guy.

"I'm sure," Lacey answered firmly.

"All right…we'll see you later then." He winked and the other guy waved, and then they both walked out.

As soon as they were gone, Lacey hurried to lock the front door so no one else would come in. She went back to get her broom and dustpan and glanced at Nate as she walked back. He was watching her closely with a serious expression on her face, so she crossed her eyes at him.

Nate laughed. "Do they come in often?" he asked, nodding his head toward the door.

Lacey shrugged and began to sweep the floor. "They've been in here a few times. They're never rude or mean, they just get a little pushy sometimes. But I can deal with them." She held the broom out like a sword, making sweeping motions with it in Nate's direction.

"I believe you!" Nate held up his hands in mock surrender.

Just then the door to the kitchen flung open and Tina, one of the girls that Lacey worked with, came up front. She scanned the dining area and her eyes finally came to rest on Nate. When they did, her eyes widened. Before she could say anything, Lacey hurried over to her and began explaining very quickly all the cleaning she had done and what she had left to do.

"I scrubbed the counter and the tables." Lacey put her arm around Tina's shoulders and led her back to the kitchen as she spoke. "I'm sweeping the floor right now, which means it will be ready to mop soon. If you can get someone to help me cover the ice cream and clean the cooler…" She continued rambling as they entered the kitchen and only stopped talking when she was sure Tina was distracted. If Tina was given too many things to think about at one time, she could only focus on a few of them.

Once Lacey was sure that Tina was sufficiently distracted, Lacey headed back out front to find Nate finishing up the sweeping.

"Wow, Nate, thanks," Lacey said warmly. She hated sweeping. "You really didn't have to."

"It's fine." Nate sounded distracted, but he smiled and handed the broom over when Lacey came to get it. "Well, thanks for the ice cream. I'll get going so you can finish up. It was good seeing you again."

"Yeah, ditto." Lacey leaned on the broom, not caring that the bristles were bending. "Come back again sometime. Who knows, I may need you to rescue me again." She grinned.

Nate laughed. "We'll see." He gave a little wave and walked toward the door. As he unlocked it, he glanced over his shoulder. "You gonna lock it behind me?"

"Oh yeah, you bet." Lacey hurried over there, letting the broom drop to the floor. "I don't want anyone coming in now thinking they can hang out for an hour. I am ready to go home!"

"I bet you are. Well, bye." Nate waved again, then turned to walk toward the parking lot.

"See you later!" Lacey closed and locked the door and then headed back to her cleaning. It wasn't until she was done and on the way home that she thought of the fact that she would be seeing Nate the next night at the concert! She laughed at herself. She hadn't even thought about him being one of _Connect Three_ all evening. Lacey shrugged. _It must be because I knew them as real people first_, she told herself. Then she decided it didn't really matter anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

Lacey slept in Saturday morning. She hadn't gotten to bed until about one o'clock the night before, so she needed to catch up. When she rolled over and looked at the clock, it said 10:09. She smiled and stretched luxuriously. She almost never slept that late, but she enjoyed the opportunity when it came. The only problem was the matter of how she would spend all her time until she had to leave for the concert that night.

That problem was soon resolved. Lacey just had time to eat a leisurely breakfast while she read the newspaper - one of her many odd habits - before her mom sought her help cleaning the storage areas upstairs. Lacey didn't mind cleaning, especially when she had someone to work with, and it certainly made time go by faster, so she wasn't too unhappy with the way her day was planned out for her. By the time three o'clock rolled around, though, Lacey was ready to be done.

"What time are you girls leaving?" Lacey's mom asked when they had finished cleaning and were in the kitchen getting a snack together.

"I'm not sure, we didn't talk about it a whole lot," Lacey answered thoughtfully, sipping her lemonade. "I guess I'd better get ready so that I can go whenever it's time." She quickly finished her Cheez-Its and lemonade, kissed her mom on the cheek, and headed for her room, already trying to decide what to wear.

"Thanks for your help, honey!" her mom called after her.

"Welcome!" Lacey barely even noticed her own response. She was standing in front of her closet, her hands on her hips, scrutinizing her wardrobe and not seeing anything that really caught her eye. She stuck out her tongue and turned to her dresser drawers, hoping to find some inspiration. While she was searching, Jenna stuck her head in the slightly open door.

"Hey, sis, you okay with leaving in an hour? The concert doesn't start until seven, but I thought we could get something to eat first. Plus, traffic is sure to be bad." Jenna rolled her eyes, then smiled. "What do you think?"

"I think that sounds like a good plan," Lacey answered, grinning back excitedly. She'd never been to a concert like this before, only to orchestra concerts. She was looking forward to the fun music and spending time with her sister.

Jenna nodded. "Great. I'm going to go change out of my uniform and get ready to go. We're in no rush, so take your time." Jenna wiggled her fingers in a little wave and closed the door behind her.

An hour later, Lacey stood in front of her full length mirror with her head tilted to the side, assessing her appearance. She was wearing black flare jeans with a long white scarf with frayed edges tied around her waist as a belt. Her shirt was a sleeveless purple button-down that came just to the top of her jeans. Her black boots, silver music note earrings, and silver charm bracelet completed the outfit. She gave a small nod and a smile and turned toward the door, picking up her purse on the way out.

She and Jenna went to Applebee's for dinner - a favorite for both of them - and then headed toward the place where the concert would be. Normally it would be about a one hour drive there from the house, but the closer they got, the more traffic there was on the interstate. In the end, they reached the amphitheater at Virginia Beach at 6:15. It was just enough time for them to park, make a quick bathroom stop, and find their seats with just a few minutes to go before the concert. There was already music blaring from the speakers, but it wasn't anything that Lacey recognized.

"These seats aren't too bad," Lacey commented to Jenna. They were about five rows back, so the closeness was good. However, they were all the way over to the left, so the view of the stage could have been better.

"They're good enough. Can't complain too much since they were free." Jenna grinned excitedly.

Lacey laughed from excitement, but didn't have the chance to reply. Suddenly, all the lights went out and the music stopped. It wasn't quiet for very long; only a split second later, the whole crowd went wild. Lacey figured it must be the beginning of the concert, so she joined in the clapping. She couldn't quite bring herself to scream hysterically, though, like the girls all around her were doing. She made a face at Jenna with a little nod in the girls' direction and the sisters both laughed.

"Good evening, Virginia!" the loud voice boomed over the crowd.

Lacey fixed her full attention on the stage. There was a little bit of light, enough to see a light mist created by fog machines, and the silhouettes of three guys walking out to their places.

"How are you guys doing tonight?"

Screams.

Then the music started.

- - - - -

By the time the concert was over, Lacey and Jenna were practically deaf. It was excellent music and they both thoroughly enjoyed themselves. But after their having to shout at each other in order to be heard, Lacey decided she much preferred concerts where no screaming took place. The Connect Three concert was fun, but Lacey felt she would have enjoyed it more if she could hear them better, without the screaming to interfere - and definitely without the hysterical, screaming, crying, and even fainting fans surrounding her.

Lacey and Jenna both thought it would be a good idea to wait until the place cleared out a little bit before trying to make their way out. The sisters sat back down in their seats to chill, not bothering to talk since they couldn't hear well anyway. Jenna pulled out her cell phone and started texting someone while Lacey people watched. All the lights were on now, and the stage was brightly lit so people could see while they took everything down. Lacey watched them for a minute, but then was distracted by movement to her left.

There was a chain link fence stretching from the stage to a doorway some way behind Lacey. The movement she had seen out of the corner of her eye was caused by people walking by hurriedly. It took Lacey only a second to realize that three of the people were Connect Three. As soon as she did, she sat up straight, her full attention focused on them now.

As if he could feel her stare, Nate glanced in her direction. At first, Lacey could tell he didn't recognize her. But as soon as he did, his eyes widened and he stopped in his tracks, causing Jason to run right into him. Jason looked puzzled until Nate said something to him and pointed in her direction.

Lacey laughed and waved. Jason and Nate waved back and grabbed Shane's arm to get his attention. As soon as he saw Lacey, he dramatically waved with two hands and motioned for her to come over. Lacey jumped up and went over to the fence, still laughing.

"Hi, guys, fancy meeting you here," she said nonchalantly.

"You're the ice cream girl!" Shane exclaimed, wide-eyed.

"Yes, thank you, please hold the applause," Lacey feigned arrogance and polished her fingernails.

"Glad you could come," Jason said, grinning.

"Me, too." Lacey looked over her shoulder, but no one noticed her standing there talking to Connect Three. She had to laugh. "You guys have some crazy fans."

"Tell us about it," Shane commented, rolling his eyes - dramatically again. Lacey was beginning to think he was always dramatic. "Did you have fun?"

Lacey nodded energetically. "Yeah, I'm here with my sister," she pointed. "I don't think either of us will be able to hear for a few days, though."

"That's normal." Jason smiled. "We'd love to stay and chat, but we'd better get out of here." He waved at her and took a couple of steps backward.

"That's cool, it was good to see my rescuers again." Lacey grinned and glanced at Nate, who was smiling but hadn't said a word.

"Yeah, you, too, ice cream girl!" Shane reached through the links, which were just wide enough for his arm to fit through, with his right hand to shake hers.

Lacey laughed and met his grasp with her own, firmly shaking his hand. Just before Shane let go, Lacey realize that he was handing her a couple of pieces of paper. She unobtrusively took them and slipped them into her pocket when Shane turned to follow Jason. Lacey looked at Nate, who was still standing there. "Your brothers are deserting you," she stated simply.

"Yeah." Nate smiled wryly. "It was good to see you again, even if it was a little unexpected."

"Why unexpected?" Lacey asked.

Nate raised one eyebrow. "I didn't even know you knew who we were!"

"Oh that!" Lacey laughed. "Well, I didn't when I first met you, but then my friend let me borrow a CD and my sister won free tickets and...well, as they say, the rest is history." She shrugged.

"Yeah, but last night..."

"Nathan! Come on!" one of the other brothers called.

"I'll see you later," Lacey said with a smile and a wave. Nate nodded and smiled back before they both turned to go their different ways. Lacey returned to her seat next to Jenna who just looked up at her.

"You ready to try to brave the crowd?" Jenna asked.

Lacey nodded. She was tired and deaf. "Yeah, I'm ready to go home now."


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to everyone who has been reading - I hope you are enjoying the story. SPECIAL thanks to those who have reviewed (mdemp92 and lenayaj14). I can't thank you enough for the reviews. If you are reading this tory, please please please (yes, I'm begging) review, even if it's only to let me know that you're reading. It gives me more motivation to write/update! I'm getting a few hits, but I'd love to hear from some *cough*all*cough* of you! Thanks!**

It wasn't even until the next afternoon that Lacey remembered the pieces of paper Shane had given to her. As soon as she did remember, she practically flew downstairs to the hamper in the laundry room, hoping her mom hadn't gotten around to laundry yet. Lacey was very relieved to find that she hadn't. She pulled the papers out of her jeans pocket and went back up to her room before looking to see what they were.

Concert tickets. Lacey laughed.

Apparently Connect Three were playing in Richmond on Tuesday night at the Richmond Coliseum. It was about two hours from where Lacey lived, but she thought it would be worth it to get to see them in concert again. Besides, she had an aunt that lived in Richmond that she could probably stay with overnight. With a grin, Lacey went in search of Jenna.

She found her sister lying on her stomach on the couch, reading. Lacey dropped the tickets on top of Jenna's book, making her jump. "Check this out, sis," Lacey said, plopping onto the floor next to the couch.

"Tickets? To…a Grey Brothers concert? In Richmond?" Jenna raised her eyebrows and gave Lacey a quizzical glance. "We just went to a Grey Brothers concert last night. Where did you get these?"

"Shane gave them to me."

"Shane who?"

Lacey smacked her forehead. "I forgot that I never told you!"

"Told me what?"

"I kinda know Connect Three."

"How kinda?"

"Well…they rescued me the other day when Dad's car broke down, and then I gave them free ice cream." Lacey shrugged. "That's it."

Jenna laughed. "I see."

"Anyway, if you want to come with me, I'd love for you to. I owe you for last night's ticket anyway." Lacey grinned. "We could stay with Aunt Lisa Tuesday night so that it wouldn't be super late when we got home –"

"Hold it there." Jenna sat up and closed her book around her finger holding her place. She held the tickets out to Lacey. "I had a blast last night and I would love to go with you, but I have to work all week at the day care."

"Oh." Lacey was disappointed. Her sister was her best friend and they loved spending time together, so Lacey knew Jenna was disappointed too. Lacey smiled so that Jenna wouldn't feel too badly and shrugged. "Well, I guess I'll have to see if someone from work wants to go with me."

"I'm sure you'll be able to find someone!" Jenna laughed. She briefly rubbed Lacey's shoulder in an affectionate way, then turned back to her book. "Or you could just go alone – you've driven to Richmond before."

Lacey's eyes widened. "Yeah, but…not by myself! And I've only had my license for a month!"

"So? You're a great driver and you're extremely responsible. I'm sure Mom and Dad wouldn't have a problem with it."

Lacey walked slowly back to her room, the idea churning in her mind. Actually, it might be fun to go alone. It would be more fun to go with Jenna, sure, but other than her sister Lacey couldn't think of anyone she'd really want to go with. All the girls at work would probably be like the gazillions of hysterical fans that had surrounded Lacey the night before and Lacey didn't want to have to put up with that any more than necessary. The more she thought about it, the more excited about it Lacey got. Going to Richmond on her own would be a lot of fun! If she could get someone to cover her shifts at work, she could even stay a couple days. She decided to talk to her parents about it that evening.

- - - - -

Her parents had given her permission.

Lacey still couldn't believe it. Her aunt had been glad to hear that Lacey was coming. Plus, she'd gotten someone to cover her Wednesday night and Thursday shifts, so she could stay another whole extra day. It was all falling into place.

Now, if she could just get her packing straight.

Lacey frowned fiercely at her suitcase before opening it with a sigh and trying to figure out what _not_ to take. She was determined not to take any more than one suitcase, so she had to plan carefully. The problem was that she kept thinking of more things that she might want or need, and it was hard to decide what to leave behind.

It was Monday evening. Lacey was planning to leave around noon the next day, make a stop at her aunt's house to drop off her stuff and change, then head straight to the Coliseum to make it with plenty of time for the five o'clock concert. She would stay in Richmond until Thursday afternoon. Lacey was going to drive the family car thanks to Jenna and her mom working out a way to share Jenna's car for a few days. Lacey was ecstatic that things had worked out so well.

Finally tiring of fighting with her suitcase, Lacey decided to take a break and get on the internet. She sat at her computer and signed on to check her email. She updated her status on MySpace and Facebook so that all the people she knew from school and work that she hardly ever talked to would know exactly what she was doing. Tiring of her usual internet haunts rather quickly, Lacey surfed through some Grey Brothers fan sites for a little while. She couldn't help but laugh at how obsessed people were.

"What kind of toothpaste do you prefer?" Lacey read aloud before laughing for the umpteenth time. "What, are you planning on getting them a gift of toothpaste? That's unique…"

"You know," came a voice from behind her, "talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity."

"Is not," Lacey shot back, spinning in her computer chair to face her sister, who was now sitting on the bed next to the suitcase. "It's more like the one hundred and twelfth sign."

"I stand corrected," Jenna replied with a fake attitude. She motioned to the suitcase. "So, you all packed?"

Lacey grimaced. "Well…I'm trying to figure out what I can leave behind. I want to just take one suitcase, so I'm going to have to reorganize my stuff, I guess."

"I guess so!" Jenna flipped the suitcase open and scrutinized it. "Well, let's tackle this thing, lil sis."

With Jenna's help, Lacey was finally prepared by eleven. The girls had some ice cream together and then Jenna said goodbye since she would be at work when Lacey left. Lacey returned to her room, suddenly remembering that her computer was still connected to the internet. She sat back down at her desk to spend a few more minutes surfing around to wind down before bed.

She found herself on a website that had information about the concert for tomorrow night, and Lacey read it eagerly. She found out there was some alternate parking just a little bit further away that would be cheaper. There was going to be a pre-show thing with Connect Three participating, but there weren't any specifics. And finally Lacey found out that there would be a meet and greet after the concert and Lacey grinned. It was going to be so much fun.

By the time Lacey finally decided to go to bed, she was so excited about the next day that she wasn't sure she'd be able to go to sleep. Surprisingly enough, she did fall asleep quickly and slept soundly all through the night, and woke up to her alarm at nine the next morning.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: A humongous THANK YOU to mdemp92 and lenayaj14 who are my *cough*only*cough* faithful reviewers. You guys keep me motivated to update!! **

**I also want to put in a plug for my other current projects! I have a Harry Potter story (Keep Breathing) that's about George Weasley after the book series ends. I'm also writing a very light-hearted Pirates of the Caribbean story (Curiosity) about Jack and Elizabeth. Both of these are going to be finished mid-January (I hope). If you like either/both subjects, please check out my stories.**

**And last of all....MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! You probably won't hear from me again until after Christmas, so I hope you have a great holiday!**

It was an uneventful ride to her aunt's. Lacey enjoyed the quiet solitude and listened to classical and orchestral CDs the whole time. She pulled up into the driveway, stepped out of the car, and stretched. It felt good to be able to stand and walk around after staying in the same position for a couple of hours. She had just grabbed her suitcase out of the backseat when her aunt opened the front door.

"Lacey!" Aunt Lisa called excitedly. Her wavy blond hair blew slightly in the breeze, and she looked like she belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine, even though she was only wearing jeans and a T-shirt. That was just the way Aunt Lisa was – she could wear anything she wanted and on her it would look like the height of fashion. Everyone said that Lacey took after her Aunt Lisa, but she just couldn't see it.

"Hi," Lacey answered cheerfully, hugging her aunt tightly. "Thanks for having me."

"I love to see you, you can come anytime," Aunt Lisa answered. She smiled and they both walked into the house. "You can have the blue room. Just make yourself at home."

Lacey grinned, said thank you, then hurried upstairs. The blue room was her favorite, and Lacey immediately felt at home when she entered. It wasn't a large room, but it was very relaxing with its various shades of blue. There was a twin bed, a small dresser and matching bedside table, and a desk. The one large window in the room had a window seat and overlooked the front yard and street.

After a quick shower, Lacey dressed in blue leggings, a green v-neck tunic that tied in the back, and black flats. She left her hair down with just a blue headband to hold it out of her eyes. She had brought her messenger bag, so she slung it diagonally across her body, satisfied that it would work well and keep her hands free. Lacey grabbed a banana out of the kitchen and ate it quickly before saying goodbye to Aunt Lisa and heading out.

This time Lacey put in Connect Three CD to listen to while she drove. She was glad for the energetic music while she sat in traffic going into downtown Richmond. It wasn't long, though, before she was parked and walking toward the Coliseum, her ticket gripped tightly in her hand. She studied the people around her as she walked, and made a face. Most of them were, like her, teenage girls. But unlike her, they were giddy and beside themselves at the prospect of seeing Connect Three onstage. Lacey shook her head and joined the lines of people going into the Coliseum.

Soon enough, Lacey was inside and walked through the entrance area into the coliseum itself. As always, she was left speechless for a moment as the enormity of the place hit her. She stood off to the side taking it all in, squinting to see the people who had the highest seats. That's when she realized she didn't even know where her seat was. She hadn't even though to look it up on the seating charts online, so the letter and number specifying her seat meant nothing to Lacey. She sighed and found someone to help her. The woman in the yellow event staff t-shirt pointed her down the stairs and told her someone down there could help her. Lacey met up with another person in a yellow shirt and was guided straight to her seat, where her jaw dropped.

Front and center.

Lacey had the best seat in the house. She grinned to herself and sank into the chair, slipping her ticket stub into her back pocket. There was music playing, but it wasn't blaring like it had been at the Virginia Beach amphitheater. Lacey could actually hear the people around her talking and shamelessly listened in on several conversations to amuse herself while she waited. All of them were basically the same, and none of them were particularly interesting, but Lacey did find the fanatical girls quite entertaining.

A couple of girls came and sat in the seats to Lacey's left. They were both decked out from head to toe in Connect Three garb – if it wasn't store bought, they made it. Even their shoelaces had lime green and hot pink glow-in-the-dark "JB"s all over them. Lacey forced herself not to roll her eyes.

"This is amazing isn't it?" the girl furthest from Lacey squealed.

"Yeah! I can't believe we got front row seats!" the other girl squealed back. Their squeals were very high pitched and grating on Lacey's nerves.

"Oh, my Grey!"

Lacey shook her head in disbelief.

"Oh hey!"

It was a second before Lacey realized that the girl was talking to her. "Oh. Hi." She tried to be polite and smile, but she was really hoping the girls would just leave her alone. She was quickly realizing how much she _didn't_ like teenyboppers.

"This is amazing! Have you seen Connect Three in concert before?" The girl directly to Lacey's left was practically bouncing in her seat in her excitement.

"Yeah, once," Lacey smiled blandly.

"Only once?" The girl two seats away acted like it was a tragedy. "Poor thing. We've seen them seven times!"

"Yeah, this is our eighth!"

Lacey blinked. "Um, good for you."

"Yeah, I think they're starting to recognize us!"

"We'll see them at the meet and greet!"

"And we're going to give them our phone numbers!"

Feeling that if she had to listen to these girls' unbelievably high pitched and annoying voices for another second she would simply explode, Lacey smiled briefly at them and then pulled out her phone and started aimlessly playing with it so that it would look like she was busy. Maybe now the girls would at least stop talking to her. She was just here to listen to some good music and see the guys at the meet and greet if she had the chance. She felt like maybe she was being mean, but she couldn't be all hysterical, freaking out, and loony like they were. That just wasn't Lacey.

Finally, a lady walked out on the stage and grabbed a mic. "Hello, Richmonders!" Cheers and screams. "And hello to everyone who is _not_ from Richmond!" More cheers and screams, and this time Lacey clapped along with them. "I know you guys are dying to see Connect Three—" She had to pause while the noise was overwhelming. "—but first we have a few things to say." The lady went on to introduce herself as a DJ of a local radio station and get the crowd even more hyped than they already were. She threw out a few freebies – frisbees, t-shirts, and the like.

"Okay, guys. It's the moment you've been waiting for!"

The noise was incredible. Lacey had to work not to cover her ears, but she was smiling with anticipation. Even if the fans were insane, that would not take the fun out of her night.

As impossible as it seemed, the noise only grew louder as three guys walked casually onto the stage. They were smiling out at all the people and waving. They stood there waiting for the crowd to calm down but it took a little while.

Eventually, Shane held up his mic and said, "Hey guys!" That only made everyone cheer more loudly. "Okay, okay, calm down a little bit! We have some stuff for you!"

"Yeah, some of you may have heard that we have a new CD coming out," Jason was speaking now. Even with his microphone, he had to almost yell to be heard. "We've got a few solo tracks to give out to you guys tonight, so you can get a little sneak peak."

"Who wants one?" Shane yelled.

The noise level reached an unbearable pitch, and Lacey finally gave in and covered her ears, wincing. Who knew that the fans, who had already been making an insane amount of noise, could get even louder? Lacey looked over at Nate, who was standing in the middle of the stage – almost directly in front of her – and saw him laughing at her. She made a face and he laughed more, shaking his head. Lacey smiled sheepishly and shrugged and Nate nodded in understanding and rolled his eyes. Lacey shook her head, not understanding how he could put up with it all the time. Nate, in turn, shrugged one shoulder and grinned crookedly and it was Lacey's turn to laugh.

Just like that, they held a whole conversation without even speaking. It was almost as though they were standing right next to each other talking and there were no other people around. Lacey smiled and lowered her hands, focusing her attention back on Jason, who was talking again.

"We have, let me see…only fifteen of these CDs! So if you want one, you're going to have to cheer really loudly!"

_Thanks, Jason,_ Lacey thought wryly. That certainly didn't help the noise. And now people started to reach up and toward the stage, so Lacey felt as though she were the only thing separating Connect Three and the crazy crowd. _How do bodyguards deal with this all the time_? she wondered.

The brothers each took five CDs and split up - Shane on the left, Nate in the middle, and Jason on the right. They made a big show out of listening for the person cheering the loudest, holding their hands up to their ears as if they couldn't hear anyone. Once they actually started throwing the CDs out, Lacey thought the building would just instantaneously combust from all the excitement. She remained sitting in her seat, resisting the urge to cover her ears again, and watched the guys throwing the CDs. It was like the fans were animals waiting for their daily food rations. Pathetic, in Lacey's mind.

Suddenly she realized Nate was standing right in front of her on the stage and she looked up to see him holding out the last CD he had. The girls next to Lacey were beside themselves, up against the railing that separated them from the stage. The event staff and bodyguards on the stage side of the railing were looking at the two girls with mild concern, ready in case they started to climb over. Lacey laughed at them briefly, then looked at Nate again. He nodded at her once, asking her if she wanted the CD. Lacey's eyes widened and she nodded in response.

Nate jumped down off the stage and was immediately joined by two bodyguards as he walked the few yards to the railing and Lacey stood up to meet him.

"This one's for you – I believe you were cheering the loudest," he joked, striding toward her.

"Yeah, so loud that you noticed me over everyone else, huh?" Lacey joked back.

Now they were both at the railing, and Nate smiled at her as they came to a stop. "You bet I

noticed you."

Lacey wasn't sure what to make of that comment, so she let it go and held out her hand to take the CD. "You'd better get back on the stage before you're accosted." She tilted her head toward the two girls from the seats next to her, who were now being held back by event staff. The girls were crying.

Nate flashed the girls a smile and Lacey thought they would faint. He held out the CD and Lacey took it, wondering as she did so if Nate brushed fingers with her on purpose. It certainly seemed so – it wasn't like he couldn't avoid it. Lacey dismissed the idea as quickly as it came.

"Enjoy the concert," Nate told her.

"Thanks, I'll try. I hope I can hear it!"

"See you at the meet and greet?" The bodyguards were gently pushing Nate backward toward the stage now.

"I wouldn't miss it," Lacey answered before she gave a little wave and returned to her seat. The guys hung out on stage for about fifteen more minutes, joking around and talking and answering questions. Then they headed backstage for a few minutes before it was time for the concert. Lacey slipped her CD into her messenger bag without even looking at it, and settled back in her seat. The nice thing about having a front row seat, she decided, was that you didn't have to try to see around everyone else who was jumping up and down and screaming.

The concert was just as good as the one she saw with Jenna in Virginia Beach, if not better, and Lacey was glad she would get the chance to tell the guys when she saw them at the meet and greet. That is, if she could stand the crazy fans until then.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Of course thank you to my reviewers - mdemp92, lenayaj14, and my newest reviewer Actress.4life. It's nice just to know that someone is reading and enjoying the story. Those of you that review, thank you and please continue. Those of you who DON'T review - please do! Even if it's just to say, "Hey, I read this chapter," it would be great to hear from you. ^_^ Thanks!**

When the concert was over, Lacey remained in her seat. There was no way she wanted to fight with the crowds of fans pressing to get out into the reception area to be first in line at the meet and greet. To entertain herself, Lacey pulled the CD Nate had given her out of her purse to look at it. It had a couple of songs on it and Lacey was looking forward to listening to it in the car on the way back to her aunt's.

It was about half an hour before the place had cleared out enough for her to feel like she could make her way out, but there was still an unbelievably long line for the meet and greet. Lacey groaned and looked at her watch. It was only 8:45, but who knew how long the line would take to get through? But Lacey really wanted to see the guys, not to mention she had already told Nate she would see him. So she made a trip to the bathroom and to the concession stand to get a soda and some fries to snack on while she waited. Thankfully she was in line behind some not-so-insane groups of fans, so she didn't have to deal with all the excited squealing and giggles like she had during the concert. Lacey was even able to talk with them and hold an intelligent conversation.

About an hour later, Lacey was finally almost to the table where the guys were seated. She tossed her empty food and drink containers into the trash can and pulled her camera out of her messenger bag. She snapped some candid pictures of the guys while she was waiting, just to entertain herself. Finally she was standing in front of Shane.

"Hi," she greeted him with a smile.

"Ice cream girl!" Shane exclaimed, jumping up to give her a hug, making her laugh.

"How did you like the concert?" Jason asked from his seat next to Shane.

Lacey nodded and smiled. "It was good."

"Don't sound too enthusiastic," Shane pouted.

"Seriously, I enjoyed it," Lacey amended with a laugh, "I just wish I could hear it better, that's all." She shot a grin at Nate, who was smiling and shaking his head at her. "Anyway, can I take your picture?" Lacey spoke in a really high voice. "I can't wait to tell all my friends that I met Connect Three!"

"Stop making fun of our fans!" Jason commanded, but none of the brothers could keep from laughing.

"Sorry, I know I'm being mean." Lacey smiled apologetically and held up her camera. "But I seriously would like to take your picture."

"Sure, here," Shane grabbed the camera and tossed it to Big Rob before Lacey even knew what was happening. "C'mere." He pulled Lacey behind the table and slung one arm over her shoulder and the other over Jason's.

Big Rob was still trying to figure out the camera by the time they were all ready. Lacey took pity on him and quickly showed him how to use it. She resumed her place between Jason and Shane, and they all smiled while Big Rob snapped a couple of pictures. Then she stepped away and turned to face the guys. "Thanks," she smiled warmly at them. "I guess I'd better get going. Where are you guys headed after this?"

"York, Pennsylvania," Shane answered with a very fake British accent.

"Well, have a blast and if you're in the area again feel free to stop by the ice cream parlor any time." Lacey grinned at them all.

"Yay! Ice cream!" Shane looked much more excited about the prospect than he needed to be and everyone laughed at him. "Seriously, it was nice to meet you, ice cream girl." He gave her a quick sideways hug, which she returned.

"Ditto. I'm just glad you guys were there to rescue me."

Jason laughed, and patted her on the shoulder. "Me, too. It got us free ice cream."

"That's all you guys think about, isn't it?" Lacey stuck her tongue out at Jason and then faced Nate. "Thanks for the CD," she told him, laughing slightly.

"Sure. Enjoy listening to it in the peace and quiet of your room." He was laughing, too. "It was great meeting you, and I'm sure we'll see you again before too long."

Lacey nodded. "Definitely stop by next time you're around. It would be great to see you guys." She meant it, but she didn't at all expect them to do what she said.

"As long as ice cream is involved," Shane spoke up, causing both Lacey and Nate to face him, "you can be sure we'll show up."

Everyone laughed. Nate hugged Lacey quickly. "Be safe on the way home."

"Oh, I'm going to my aunt's to spend the night. Didn't want to drive all the way home this late at night," Lacey explained, not really knowing why she did. "You guys be safe on the way to York, Pennsylvania," she added and mocked Shane's British accent. She turned to get her camera from Big Rob and stuck it back into her messenger bag. "Seriously, guys, thanks for everything – the rescue, the tickets, the CD."

"Where's your sister?" Nate suddenly asked. "I noticed you were by yourself."

"She couldn't come, she had to work," Lacey answered. She shrugged and smiled. "Sometimes it's nice to just be by myself anyway." She took a few steps backwards. "Great concert tonight, guys. See you around." She gave a wave, which they all three returned, then walked out of the Coliseum and to the car, beginning to feel tired as the excitement of the evening started to wear off.

- - - - -

Lacey listened to the CD Nate had given her on repeat all the way to her aunt's, then put it in her portable CD player and listened to it with headphones while she drew. She was tired, but didn't feel like she could sleep yet. She still felt wound up from the concert, and figured drawing would help her to wind down.

She stayed up later than she meant to so that she could finish what she was drawing. Lacey hated to leave a project in the middle. By the time she was finished, she was almost nodding off right there at the desk, but she forced herself to sign and date her newest drawing. This was another different one; it was a picture of Connect Three on stage talking to their fans. The image had stuck in her mind all evening, and now she finally had it down on paper.

She turned off her music, changed, and went to bed.

- - - - -

Two days later, Lacey was back into her regular routine. Every time she went to work she couldn't help but be reminded of Connect Three and their rescuing her. She bought their new CD when it came out and enjoyed it, but still couldn't bring herself to be obsessed like so many of her peers were. Soon enough, school started and she wouldn't have had time to be obsessed even if she wanted to.

There were reminders everywhere though. Whenever Lacey saw a poster hanging in someone's locker at school she would think of them talking and laughing with her. When she heard their songs on the radio she would remember the concerts. If there were squealing, giggling girls around, Lacey would be reminded of the silent conversation she and Nate had had before the concert at the Coliseum and she would laugh.

Whenever she thought of the boys, she would wonder where they were and hope that they were safe and having fun. But she never did look anything up online – no tour schedules, live chats, or even YouTube videos. That would explain why in February, six months after she had first met Connect Three, she was not at all expecting them to walk into the ice cream parlor and order something like it was nothing special.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I see I have more reviews! Thank you all so much. I don't have time to read them right now, I only have a few minutes to spare and I thought you would probably rather I update than read through and reply to all my reviews. ^_^ I will get to them, I promise, but probably not until tomorrow. THANKS FOR REVIEWING and thank you to ALL who are reading!**

"I'll have a waffle cone with three scoops of—"

"Shane?" Lacey had just turned to see the three Grey Brothers standing at the counter and looking at the menu. "Jason? Nate?"

"Lacey?" Jason returned teasingly. "Now that we're all introduced, can we get some ice cream?"

"You're kidding. I didn't even know you guys were here! When did you get into town? What are you here for? How long are you staying?" Lacey was excited to see them. School had all but consumed her life lately. She was ready to have some fun, and Connect Three equaled fun.

Nate raised an eyebrow at her enthusiasm. "Someone sounds like an obsessed fan."

"Oh please," Lacey scoffed. "I'm just glad to see you guys. Seriously, are you here for a concert? I haven't heard anything…"

"No," Jason shook his head. "We're here to visit some family for a couple weeks. And you should feel honored – we came here first thing."

Before Lacey could answer, Shane piped up. "Yeah! And I want some ICE CREAM."

"Whoa, chill." Lacey held up her hands in mock surrender, pretending to be scared. "I'll get you whatever you want, just please don't hurt me." After she served them their ice cream, she started cleaning up and restocking things while she talked to them. "What are you guys doing while you're here?"

They all shrugged simultaneously and Jason spoke up first. "Probably a lot of nothing."

"Yeah, we'll probably play a lot of video games," Shane added.

"What is there to do around here?" Nate asked.

Lacey laughed. "Not much, really. Not in the winter anyway. If it were summer, there would be parks, the beach, skating, amusement parks, the works!" She shook her head in mock sadness. "I'm afraid you'll have to settle for indoor stuff."

All three brothers sighed simultaneously.

"Come on, guys," Lacey said, laughing again. "It isn't that bad! They're predicting snow for this evening, so maybe that'll help."

"There aren't even any good movies out," Jason whined.

"Are you kidding me?" Lacey gasped. "You mean you don't want to see that 'Hollywood Pomeranian' one?"

The guys died laughing.

Lacey blinked. "I was being serious!"

"No, you weren't," Nate shot back, still grinning. He took a bite of his ice cream and then used his spoon to point at her. "I can tell by your eyes that you're trying not to laugh."

"Okay, okay, you're right," Lacey admitted. She flashed a smile and then glanced at the clock. "Well, guys, it's been great, but I have to get going now."

"Already?" Nate asked, frowning.

"Yeah, I don't _live_ here, ya know." She stuck her tongue out at him as she untied her apron. "Be right back." Lacey went to hang up her apron in the kitchen and let the others know she was leaving. She grabbed her purse and coat and clocked out. When she went back into the front, all three Grey brothers were standing and talking. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Um, standing here talking," Shane answered like she was crazy.

Lacey glared at him. "I meant why."

"We're getting ready to leave," Jason explained.

"You should have finished your ice cream."

"We were done," Nate protested.

With a pointed look at the full trash can, which now had three partially filled dishes of ice cream in it, Lacey argued, "No, you weren't."

Jason laughed. "Relax, Lacey. It's time for us to leave, too. We're fine, I promise. We won't starve to death because we didn't finish our ice cream."

"Well, if you're sure," Lacey was still skeptical, but didn't have time to argue more. She put on her coat and wrapped her scarf around her neck. As she made her way out from behind the counter and out the front door, the three followed her. "Are you sure you're not stalking me," she joked when they followed her all the way to her car.

"Darn, she figured it out," Shane joked. "Actually we were going to ask you when you're working next. We might stop by and see you again before we leave."

"Really?" Lacey was surprised. "Well, okay, I work again tomorrow afternoon – same time as today." She had today – Thursday – and tomorrow off from school because of teacher work days, so she was able to work the opening shift at the ice cream parlor and also get out earlier.

"Cool." Jason waited until she had unlocked the door and then opened it for her. "We'll probably see you tomorrow, then."

"Cool, thanks," Lacey slid into the seat. "See you guys!" Jason closed the door, Lacey waved, and then she was on her way home.

- - - - -

When Lacey reached home, she said a quick "hello" to the house in general and hurried upstairs to take a shower. Her family was going to a birthday party that evening for a lady from their church and Lacey didn't have much time to get ready. After the fastest shower in the history of Lacey's showers, she dressed quickly in a knee-length denim skirt, simple green polo shirt with a white long-sleeve shirt underneath, white tights, and green suede boots.

"Lacey, time to go!" her dad called after Lacey put some green guitar earrings in.

"Coming!" Lacey snatched her purse off the desk chair, slung her coat around her shoulders, and ran downstairs.

"Better hurry, we're almost late," Jenna said, holding the door open for her little sister. "You look cute."

"Thanks." Lacey was in too much of a hurry to say anything else. She practically flew out the door, Jenna hot on her heels. Once they were in the car, Lacey had time to breathe and think for a minute. After a few minutes of riding in silence while listening to the radio she said to Jenna, who was sitting next to her in the backseat, "Oh, guess who I saw today?"

"Um," Jenna thought for a minute. "A really old guy with gray hair and a cane who had trouble speaking because he forgot to put in his teeth this morning."

Lacey blinked. "Uh, no. Where in the world did that come from?"

"You said to guess!" Jenna shrugged innocently.

"Well, you guessed wrong." Lacey gave her sister a strange look out of the corner of her eye. "Guess again."

"No time, we're here," Jenna announced. Sure enough, they were pulling up into the driveway of the lady who's birthday it was. "Mrs. Small will be so surprised," Jenna smiled, distracted by their arrival.

"No, seriously, Jenna, guess who I saw!"

Jenna laughed and started to climb out of the car. "Seriously, Lacey, I have no idea."

"I saw--" Suddenly her door opened and Lacey turned to see who had opened it. "Nate?"

"Yeah, me too," Jenna was still laughing. She said, "Hey," to Nate and waved before following their parents up to the house.

Lacey was still sitting in the car. "What are you doing here?" Lacey asked, eyeing Nate as if he were a hallucination.

"Um, well, we're staying with our aunt and this is her house." Nate waved his hand toward the house before holding it out to help Lacey out of the car. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Mrs. Small goes to our church and we're here for her surprise birthday party," Lacey explained automatically. She reached up to take Nate's hand and accept his help climbing out of the car. She slung her purse over her shoulder and Nate closed the car door. They meandered up to the house together, Nate with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Lacey laughed and shook her head. "I had no idea that Mrs. Small is your aunt."

"She's our great-aunt, actually," Nate replied with a shrug. He smiled crookedly at Lacey. "But I had no idea you went to her church, so I guess we're even."

"Yeah, I guess we are." Lacey stepped back and smiled as Nate opened the door for her. "Thanks. Where are your brothers?"

Nate opened his mouth but Lacey was abruptly surrounded - or so it seemed. Jason and Shane were standing on either side of her, both talking a mile a minute. There was another boy who looked to be about eight standing in front of her, jumping up and down. He looked a lot like Jason, Shane, and Nate, so Lacey assumed that they were related. All four boys were talking so fast, saying different things at the same time, that Lacey could not understand a word any of them were saying.

"Stop, stop, stop!" she exclaimed, laughing and putting her hand to her forehead. "I think my head is going to explode trying to listen to all of you!"

"Ew..." they chorused, four noses identically wrinkled at the thought of Lacey's head exploding all over them.

"Okay, I know three of you, but not the fourth..." she hinted.

Jason suddenly picked up the one that Lacey assumed was related to them somehow and held him up in front of Lacey. "This is our little brother. His name is...um....Fred!"

"No, it's not!" the little brother giggled. "It's Bobby!"

Lacey very seriously held out her right hand to Bobby. "It's nice to meet you, Bobby. I'm Lacey."

"She's the ice cream girl," Josh stage-whispered, and Bobby's eyes lit up.

"Maybe if you come with your brothers sometime, I'll give you some ice cream," Lacey laughed.

Jason set Bobby on the floor and he ran off to socialize. "We are so glad you're here," Jason told Lacey.

"Why?"

"Because, there's no one else our age and we were getting bored," Shane explained, dramatic as always.

"They were on the verge of making a new YouTube video," Nate said in mock-horror.

"YouTube video?" Lacey frowned. "What do you mean?"

Their mouths dropped open, all three of them. They exchanged glances. "Our YouTube videos? You've never seen them?" Shane asked in shock.

"Nope, sorry." Lacey tried not to smile, but it was hard. All three of them had looks of utter astonishment on their faces. "What are they?"

"Oh, just wait. We'll show you." Jason gave an evil laugh and rubbed his hands together menacingly.

"After the party," Nate added. He nodded toward the front door. "Aunt Harriet is bound to be here any second. Plus we need to introduce Lacey to Mom and Dad."

"Oh! Good point!" Shane grabbed Lacey's hand excitedly and started tugging her toward the kitchen, Jason and Nate trailing behind. Lacey was sure the evening wouldn't be boring with these guys around.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Big thanks to 10demilovatofan26 for the review! And of course, as usual, thanks to everyone who is reading and ESPECIALLY to those who are reviewing. I always appreciate hearing from everyone. So if you are reading and haven't reviewed yet, please do! Happy New Year to everyone!**

She was right. The evening was far from boring. Lacey had a blast hanging out with the Grays, including Bobby. She and Bobby had become fast friends, and for most of the evening one was not seen without the other. They all talked and laughed and played games together throughout the evening, and when Lacey's family was leaving, the Grayes insisted that Lacey stay and they would take her home later. As soon as all the guests were gone, the cleanup began. Lacey helped, and she and Nate were given kitchen duty.

"Aren't paper plates amazing?" Lacey asked, up to her elbows in soapy water. There were a lot of dishes to wash, and Lacey could only imagine how many more there would have been if paper plates, bowls, and cups hadn't been used.

"Best thing since sliced bread," Nate quipped. He brought some more dishes over to the sink, and Lacey pretended to glare at him. "What? It's not my fault!" he defended himself. "You want me to wash?" he offered.

"No, no, I'm fine," Lacey replied. "I was just playing. Just hurry up and finish bringing the dishes over so that you can start to dry and put away. I'm running out of room in the drainer!"

"Oh, you can take care of that." Nate waved his hand dismissively and turned away. Less than two seconds later he was sprayed with water. He spun around in shock and Lacey was holding the hose, ready to spray him again.

"What did you say?" she asked menacingly.

Nate's eyes were wide and he tried not to laugh. "I, uh, I said," he looked around, searching for inspiration, and his hand went to the back of his head, feeling the water drip off his hair. His shoulders slumped. "Okay, you win. I'll hurry."

"That's better."

Nate turned away again, but as soon as he did, Lacey sprayed him for the second time. "What was that for?" he asked indignantly, whirling to face her.

She was smirking. "Just for good measure."

"Look here, missy," Nate pretended to be angry and slowly stalked toward her, "haven't you ever heard of 'forgive and forget'?" Unnoticed by Lacey, he grabbed some ice out of the ice bowl on his way over to her.

"Oh, I don't forget easily." She was still smirking and now had her arms crossed in front of her. Her whole body emanated smugness.

_Well, I'll soon put a stop to that_, Nate thought. "That's not very nice." He was getting closer to her. Any second now and he'd be able to put the ice to good use. "You should apologize."

Lacey snorted. "Apologize? Excuse me?"

"Yeah, you know, say you're sorry?"

"But I'm not." She flipped her hair back in an attitude of snobbishness.

"Well, neither am I." Nate smirked back at her when she looked up at him with a confused expression on her face. In one quick movement, he reached behind her and dropped the ice down the back of her shirt, then took off across the kitchen before she could realize what he had done. He was standing safely on the other side of the island before she reacted.

"NATHAN GRAY!" she yelled, her eyes wide with shock. She scrunched up her shoulders in an automatic reaction to the cold and fixed Nate with a wrathful glare.

"Wow, if looks could kill, I'd be dead and cremated," Nate announced cheerfully.

Lacey, still glaring at Nate, untucked her shirt so she could get the ice out. "Fine. Be that way. I can do this on my own. You just go find someone else to help." She turned back to the sink and started washing dishes again.

Nate was positive she was joking. So he laughed and waited. But she didn't say or do anything else, so he began to feel uneasy. Unsure of what he was supposed to do, he started toward her slowly, still not sure if this was a trap. "Lace?"

She sniffed.

_Is she crying?_ Nate thought in disbelief and dread. "Hey, you're not really mad, are you?" He took another couple of steps forward and was standing right behind her now. _Hm, she smells good_, he thought before quickly pushing that thought away. _Focus!_ "I was just playing."

"I know," she said in a quiet voice. Nate couldn't see her face to judge her expression. Lacey shifted, beginning to turn toward him. "I'm sorry, I guess I just overreacted."

Nate opened his mouth to answer. He got a face full of water in response. He sputtered and gasped and wiped the water out of his eyes. He couldn't think of a thing to say.

Bobby's laughter from the kitchen doorway saved him. He was laughing so hysterically and gasping for breath that it was a few seconds before he could say anything. "Lacey got Nate!" he yelled, still laughing. "That was so funny! You should see your face, Nate!" Bobby pointed at his big brother, giggling with glee.

"You have about three seconds to get out of here," Nate told the eight-year-old solemnly and began counting down on his fingers. Bobby disappeared before Nate even finished saying "three."

"That was hilarious." Lacey's tone dared Nate to disagree. She was smirking again. "I got you _good_."

"Okay, you win for now," Nate told her, taking a step closer, trying to be menacing. It didn't work too well since he was about to burst into laughter. "But when you least expect it, I will get my revenge. So you better watch your back." He began to reach around her as though he had ice in his hand again.

Lacey ducked out from under his arm and ran away. "I decided you can wash!" she announced, laughing as she went to get more dishes.

Once they settled down to business, it didn't take them long at all to get the dishes washed and the kitchen cleaned up. Soon, Jason and Shane came to find them and drag them into the bedroom the boys were all sharing. Someone pulled out a laptop, and Lacey was thoroughly entertained for the next hour or so, watching Connect Three' YouTube videos.

"I did some, too," Bobby declared when he entered the room and realized what they were watching. He climbed up into Lacey's lap and pointed to himself in the video they had playing at the moment. "See, there's me!"

"I see that. The ones you're in are my favorites," Lacey told him, resting her chin on his head. "You're the best actor out of all your brothers." She shot a grin at the three older guys and they just made faces back at her. "You're the nicest, too," Lacey added to Bobby. That earned her a poke in the side from Shane and a shoulder nudge from Nate. Jason just made another face at her. "They like to prove my point," Lacey stage-whispered to Bobby with a laugh.

"Okay, that's it," Shane said, grabbing a pillow and whacking Lacey on the head with it.

That caused an all-out pillow fight. Once the laptop was safely moved out of the way, they went wild. They each had a pillow and it was Jason, Shane, and Nate against Lacey and Bobby. Eventually they were running all over the house, yelling and laughing and have a great time. All too soon, Mr. Gray came into the living room, where the pillow fight was currently taking place, and laughingly told them to calm down because it was getting late.

Bobby went to bed, and Lacey and the older Gray brothers settled in the den to watch a movie on TV. They were so busy talking through most of it that none of them really knew what it was about, but they enjoyed making fun of it when they did pay attention for a few minutes.

"I'd better get going," Lacey said regretfully when the movie was over. Jason and Shane looked up from their places on the floor. Lacey glanced over at Nate. He had been sitting on the other end of the couch from her, but now he was lying with his head on the arm rest and one arm hanging off the edge of the couch. He was snoring lightly.

"We can take you home," Jason said, standing and stretching. Then he helped Shane up. "That was a great movie, wasn't it?"

"The best," Lacey answered with a laugh. She stood up, too. "Thanks for having me, I had a great time."

"Sure, we'll have to hang out tomorrow," Shane replied eagerly. "I gotta go get my shoes and coat, be right back." Jason followed Shane out of the room.

Lacey found her own coat and put it on, picked up her purse, and slipped her feet into her boots – which she had taken off during the movie. She looked at Nate sleeping on the couch and smiled. He looked like a little kid sleeping. _So cute_, she thought, and then shook her head to remove the thought. Lacey took the afghan off the back of the couch and covered Nate with it. On impulse, she reached out to smooth some of his hair back from his forehead. Then she turned to leave the room.

"Goodnight, Lace." The quiet mumble startled Lacey when she realized she must have woken Nate.

She was embarrassed now that she hadn't just left, but she replied softly, "Bye, Nate, see you tomorrow."

Within seconds he was snoring lightly again, and Lacey smiled as she went to wait by the front door. Maybe he wouldn't even remember tomorrow that she had covered him with a blanket. She hoped he would at least not realize she had touched his hair. For some reason, now that she thought about it, Lacey felt like that was a very intimate action. At the time, it had just seemed the natural thing to do, but Lacey wished she hadn't. Actually, she really wished Nate hadn't woken up.

She didn't have much time to think about it. Jason and Shane entered the front hall just then and they left. As they drove to Lacey's house, she gave them directions. In between her pointing, they made plans for the next day. By the time they reached her house, they had decided that the guys would come pick her up from home the next day after work and they would all go see a movie.

"Thanks for the ride and the fun time, guys," Lacey told them as she stepped out of the warm car into the frigid night air.

"No problem. Now get inside before you freeze to death," Jason answered.

"See you tomorrow!" Shane called as she ran up to the front door.

She opened the door, waved, and stepped inside. She hurried up to her room quietly and shut the door behind her. It was almost eleven – late, but still thirty minutes until her curfew. She changed into her warm pajamas, robe, and slippers before putting on some soft classical music and sitting down at her desk to draw.

By the time she went to bed, Lacey had done what she considered her best work yet. It was a portrait of a sleeping young man with curly dark hair, his face the picture of relaxation and peacefulness, a slight smile on his mouth as though he were having pleasant dreams. Lacey didn't always name her pictures, but she named this one simply "Dreams" before signing and dating it and heading off to bed.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thank you for continuing to read. And thank you for bearing with me since it took a little longer to upload this chapter. Yesterday was my birthday and I didn't get on the internet at all. Please forgive me. ^_^ **

**As always, much thanks to my lovely reviewers xojonasbrothersxo, mdemp92, and lenayaj14 - you guys are the bomb! You are great! **

**And thank you to everyone who is reading, even if you're not reviewing. I hope you are enjoying it!**

The afternoon at work seemed to crawl for Lacey. Normally she had fun at work and didn't mind being there at all, but she could hardly wait to see the Grayes later and her anticipation of that made each second last ten times longer than usual. Finally, though, she was able to clock out and leave. She hurried home, changed out of her uniform, and waited for the guys to come get her. She had no idea what movie they were going to see – Jason wasn't joking when he said there weren't really any good movies out yesterday. But she was sure they would find something, and have a blast whatever movie they decided to see.

Finally someone knocked on the front door and Lacey glanced at her appearance in the mirror hanging in the front hall before opening the door. Nate was standing there, looking frozen even though he was bundled up. "Hi!"

"Hey, Nate, is it cold out there?" Lacey asked jokingly.

"Oh, no, not at all, what gave you that idea?" Nate made a face at her. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes." Lacey picked up her coat and purse and followed Nate out to the car where Jason and Shane were waiting. She slid into the backseat next to Nate. "Hey, guys."

Shane, sitting in the passenger seat in front of Lacey, turned around so he could see her. "Hey, ice cream girl, what movie should we see?"

Lacey shrugged and shook her head. "I have no idea! It was your guys' brilliant plan to see a movie, you pick! I mean, there is always that 'Hollywood Pomeranian' one…"

The guys all groaned and shook their heads.

"No, thanks," Jason said firmly.

"There's that spy movie that's out," Nate said. "It's supposed to be stupid and funny. It's not one of those serious James Bond types, or one that you have to think about really hard."

"That'll be good for you then, Nate," said Shane, nodding as though he were serious. "We know how much trouble you have thinking."

Lacey burst out laughing and Nate reached forward to punch Shane's shoulder.

"Just kidding!" Shane leaned just out of Nate's reach, laughing. "The spy movie sounds fine to me. Lacey?"

"That works," Lacey nodded.

"Good timing, we're here," was Jason's input.

They all piled out of the car and hurried into the warm movie theater. The Grayes kept their hoods on their coats up over their heads even when they entered the building, and when Lacey looked around, she noticed Big Rob standing just a short distance away, readily available if needed.

"Does he have to come with you guys everywhere?" Lacey asked Nate in a whisper.

He looked to see where she was looking and then chuckled. "Usually only if we're going somewhere public where people are likely to recognize us. He's cool, though, he just follows us. It's not like he's in charge of us and telling us what to do and stuff."

"Yeah, he seems cool." Just then someone ran into Lacey from behind, making her go slightly off balance and bump into Nate. "Oops, sorry!" she laughed, putting her hand on his arm to regain her balance.

Nate completely shocked her by quickly moving his arm so that her hand slid down into his. He wrapped his fingers around hers, then glanced over at her, smiling shyly. "It's no problem."

Lacey smiled to herself and turned her head so that Nate wouldn't see her blushing slightly. Nate's hand was warm and soft, it made her feel secure and comfortable. She liked it.

He didn't let go of her hand, even after they got their tickets and snacks and made their way to the theater and then to their seats. They sat in the very last row, right in the middle. Nate continued to hold Lacey's hand after they sat down, and Lacey continued to blush. She hoped that Jason and Shane either wouldn't notice, or wouldn't comment. They all conversed and made fun of the previews, and Lacey eventually relaxed completely. It seemed natural to be holding Nate's hand.

Soon the movie started and for a while Lacey was distracted by the opening scenes. After a few minutes, Nate began to rub her hand gently with his thumb and Lacey lost all track of the movie plot for several minutes after that. She began to wonder if he was purposely keeping her mind focused on him because that's definitely what was happening. Gradually she relaxed again and was able to pay attention to the movie.

When the movie ended, they all remained seated until the credits stopped rolling. Halfway through the movie, Nate had leaned his head on Lacey's shoulder. Lacey had begun to wonder if he was sleeping, but as soon as Jason and Shane stood up, Nate did, too.

"That was a pretty decent movie, wasn't it?" Jason said.

Lacey stood and led the way out of the row and down to the door of the theater.

"Yeah, it was fun," Shane answered, tossing their garbage into a trash can.

"I had a good time," Nate added. Lacey was in front of him, so couldn't see his face to judge the expression, but she thought his voice contained a teasing note. She blushed lightly and smiled to herself as they exited into the hallway.

"Pit stop!" Shane almost shouted, veering into the bathroom. Jason and Nate both followed, so Lacey sank onto a bench across the hall to wait.

A few minutes later, Nate came back. He smiled when he saw Lacey, and sat down on the bench next to her. "What did you think of the movie?" he asked.

Lacey wasn't sure if he really wanted to know, or if he was teasing her. She decided to take him seriously. "It was funny," she answered, leaning back against the wall. "Definitely not realistic, and I didn't like the ending."

"Why not?"

"Because," she scoffed, "the chick was so fake! You'd think the spy would have been able to see right through her. She just wanted him for his car, and he completely fell for it." Nate didn't say anything. Lacey looked at him closely. "Why, what did you think?" she asked carefully.

He smiled briefly and then stood as his brothers emerged from the bathroom, acting out a scene from the movie. "It was okay," Nate answered. He helped Lacey up, but let go of her hand as soon as she was standing; she fought to hide her disappointment.

They made their way out to the car, Jason and Shane discussing the movie loudly and acting out certain scenes. Lacey joined in, but Nate remained quiet.

"The best part was when the spy was like, 'In your face, dude,' and then the guy got the mud dumped right in his face!" Shane shouted, climbing into the car.

"Are you kidding?" Lacey contradicted, closing her own door behind her. "By far, the best part was the munitions factory exploding. It may have been a funny movie, but some of the special effects were awesome."

"Where are we going?" Jason asked after he let the car warm up.

"I'm starved," Shane stated.

"Of course." Jason glanced in the rearview mirror at Lacey and Nate. "Any place in particular anyone wants to go?"

Lacey shook her head. "Anywhere is fine with me."

Nate shrugged, but didn't speak. Lacey pushed back her concern. She'd deal with it later.

They wound up at a small restaurant that Lacey knew of where the guys wouldn't be as likely to be recognized, and enjoyed a quiet dinner where they talked about anything and everything. Except for Nate. He still didn't talk much. Lacey pondered it while she ate. She couldn't think of anything she'd said – in fact she could think of any reason for him to be acting this way. It wasn't like he was grouchy or mad, just very quiet and thoughtful. Lacey had noticed that he was quieter than his brothers a lot of the time, but this was different than usual. She wondered if Jason and Shane noticed, too, or if she was just being oversensitive.

After dinner the guys – Jason and Shane anyway – insisted that Lacey come back to their great-aunt's house to hang out for the rest of the evening. They tempted her with video games and finally told her that Bobby was dying to see her. That was the deciding factor for her. As soon as they reached the house, Bobby bolted out the front door without a coat and launched himself at Lacey. She laughed.

"Hey, little buddy." She hugged him tightly. "You need a coat – it's freezing out here!"

"I know, but I missed you this much!" Bobby stepped back and spread his arms out as widely as he could. "I made something for you!"

"For me?" Lacey smiled and ruffled his hair. "Well, thanks! Let's go inside where it's warm and you can show me what you made."

Bobby took Lacey's hand and practically dragged her inside. She followed quite willingly, laughing at his excitement. She heard Jason and Shane talking quietly to Nate as they followed at a distance, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. Lacey decided not to worry about it and just have fun. After all, she had racked her brain for hours trying to think of anything she had done wrong and had come up with nothing. If the problem was her, Nate needed to talk to her about it. If it wasn't her, then there likely wasn't much she could do anyway.

That was the reasoning she tried to use to make herself feel better, but it still bugged her throughout the rest of the evening.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: THANK YOU to those who reviewed the last chapter: xojonasbrothersxo, mdemp92, and lenayaj14. Thank you to everyone who is reading, but please also review. I love to get your feedback, all of it!**

**And extra thanks to xojonasbrothersxo and lenayaj14 for the birthday wishes. :-)**

**Enjoy this chapter!**

It would have been a relaxing evening except that Nate's behavior was still nagging at Lacey. She managed to have a good time for the most part. They all played Guitar Hero for a while, even Bobby. When they tired of that, they got out Taboo. Nate opted out of Taboo and disappeared into the bedroom with his guitar until Bobby went to bed. Then he reemerged and joined the others in front of the TV in the den, but Lacey thought he seemed zoned out.

It didn't really matter if Nate was paying attention or not because Shane was in control of the remote and that meant he was continuously flipping through the channels. He didn't stay on any one channel for longer than five seconds at a time. He had cycled through all three hundred channels like that more than once when Lacey finally grabbed the remote out of his hand.

"Thank you!" Jason exclaimed.

"Hey! That's not fair," Shane protested, trying to grab it back.

Lacey pointed the remote at Shane and very determinedly held her finger over the mute button. "In about two seconds I am going to mute you if you don't stop." She was trying hard not to laugh.

"But, you just—Jason, she—wait---"

"Mute!" Lacey said, making a big show of pushing the button. She laughed when Shane immediately acted like he couldn't make any noise. "Ah, the peace and quiet is nice, isn't it Jason?"

Jason sighed happily. "It's incredible."

Shane was still trying to get the remote from Lacey, though. He may not have been able to talk, but he could still move. Lacey grinned evilly and held the remote up again. "Shane, if you don't behave, I'm going to pause you so you can't move!"

Shane didn't stop.

"Pause!" Lacey pushed the pause button. Then she burst into laughter again when Shane immediately froze in place, facial expression and everything. She left him like that for a couple minutes before she finally took pity on him and handed the remote back, stopping the game and resuming the channel surfing. Lacey didn't really notice anymore. It had suddenly struck her that Nate hadn't participated in the joking around at all, but kept his eyes glued to the TV.

Lacey sighed and then slid from her place on the couch onto the floor. Bobby had left some coloring supplies out, so Lacey took a piece of paper and a pencil and began drawing. She did it almost without thinking; her mind was focused on Nate sitting on the couch to her left. She didn't even notice when Shane leaned forward and watched over her shoulder for several minutes while she drew. Lacey was in her own little world. Jason even came over, sat next to Shane on the couch, and joined his brother watching over Lacey's shoulder without her noticing.

Only when Nate shifted position so he could see what his brothers were looking at did she come back to earth. She was almost done with her drawing now; there were just a few finishing touches to add. She was mildly distracted by Nate's attentiveness, but not enough to affect her drawing. Finally she was done. She wrote on the bottom of it, "To Bobby, Love Lacey" and dated it, then leaned back against the couch, relaxing her back muscles.

It was a portrait of herself and Bobby. It wasn't her best work, Lacey knew, but it was decent. It was a picture that she held in her head of the two of them cuddling on the couch, both looking at something slightly to the left of the viewer, both smiling and obviously having a good time enjoying each other's company.

"Wow," Shane breathed directly over her shoulder, making Lacey jump even though she knew he was there.

"That's incredible," Jason commented. "I didn't know you could draw."

"Eh, it's okay," Lacey said. She didn't know what to do when someone praised her. She usually just tried to brush it off.

"You're a great artist," Nate said softly.

"Thanks, guys, it means a lot," Lacey replied, very aware of Nate's face just over her left shoulder. "I'm glad you like it."

"Bobby's gonna flip," Shane stated. "He'll probably make you draw about a zillion more pictures for him before we leave."

The words caused a strange sensation in Lacey's stomach. She had been trying not to think about the fact that the Grayes didn't live here, after all, and would be leaving in a little less than two weeks. She didn't really have any close friends besides her sister, and she would really miss the Grayes when they left. She managed to brush all this aside and laugh lightly. "I'll be glad to draw him anything he wants."

"He's got you wrapped around his finger," Jason shook his head sadly. "We're all there, too."

Lacey laughed. "He's too cute to resist."

"He takes after me," Shane joked, feigning arrogance, earning himself a smack from Jason.

"Guys, it's snowing." Nate was looking out the window now. Everyone followed his gaze, and sure enough, big flakes were falling rather quickly. Nate stood and walked over to the window to see outside better. "It looks like it's been snowing for a while. There's probably two inches on the ground already."

"Wow, that's a lot." Lacey was surprised, usually two inches was about the average for a snowfall, but it looked like this one was just starting.

"Shall we go out for a while?" Jason asked, looking like a little kid in his eagerness to play in the snow.

Everyone seemed to agree that this was a good idea. They all bundled up and headed outside, trying to be quiet so as not to wake up the whole house. They caught snowflakes on their tongues, had a silent snowball fight, and even got around to making some snow angels. Lacey was on her third one when Jason and Shane announced they were going inside to fix some hot chocolate. Lacey lay on the ground in the snow, watching the flakes falling from the black sky. Suddenly Nate was standing by her head, peering down at her and blocking the snowflakes from falling on her face.

"Hey, you're blocking the view," Lacey joked. _Not that I mind; this view is much better_, she thought to herself. She grinned.

Nate smiled and reached down a hand to help her up. Lacey accepted it, puzzled by what he wanted, and followed him a little way from the house. There was a wooden bench swing on the edge of what looked like a very pretty summer garden. Nate sat down and patted the swing next to him indicating that Lacey should sit, too.

She did, and after a few moments of silence, Lacey whispered, "What is it, Nate? What's wrong?"

He looked at her, studying her. "What do you mean?"

"You've been acting strange all evening. Quiet and…" Lacey shrugged. She looked into his brown eyes and frowned. "Are you mad at me?"

"No!" Nate's eyes widened, and he placed his gloved hand over her bare one. "I'm sorry you thought I was. Just…something you said earlier made me think."

"What is it?" Lacey was glad they were finally getting to the bottom of it, but she was a little nervous, too. What had she said that upset Nate all evening? "Is it bad?"

"Not really." Nate sighed. "I'm probably just being stupid." He fell silent and Lacey didn't say anything. She didn't want to be pushy and she knew Nate would say what he needed to say when he was ready. Finally he whispered, not looking at Lacey, "A lot of girls would like me just because I'm famous."

At first Lacey was stumped. What did that have to do with, well, _anything_? It didn't make sense at all. But suddenly she remembered what she had said at the movie theater, about the girl only liking the spy for his car, and it all clicked. She covered Nate's hand on top of hers with her free hand. "Maybe," she said, also whispering. A whisper seemed to fit on this quiet night when the whole world was also whispering. Even the snowflakes falling onto the ground made a whispering noise. "But, I'm not a lot of girls."

Nate finally looked at Lacey, and she saw a guarded look in his eyes that made her sad. He didn't say anything, and Lacey took a deep breath before she continued. She was likely stepping out on a limb now and risking embarrassing herself, but she didn't care. She wanted Nate to feel at ease with her again.

She looked straight into his eyes and forced herself to say exactly what she was feeling. "I happen to really like this incredible guy. There are a lot of things I like about him. He's amazingly sweet. He's funny. He's always polite and very much a gentleman. He really cares about people, even ones he has never met before." Lacey took another deep breath and continued, "He has eyes that are like an open book. He's smart. He almost always knows exactly the right words to say."

Lacey paused, and Nate still didn't say anything. He was looking at her now with confusion, and Lacey could tell he really didn't have a clue who she was talking about.

She finally looked away from him, watching the snowflakes fall softly to the ground. She sighed slightly and then whispered, "It's _you_, Nate. I like _you_." She looked at him again, knowing that she had to say it so he would understand. The guarded look was back in his eyes. "I liked you before I knew who you were. Do you understand? I don't care if your name is Nate Gray or Fred Smith. I like you for you. I don't care if the whole word adores you or hates you. I don't like you for your fame, your money, your family – as much as I adore Bobby," Lacey smiled slightly, "or even your car. I just like you because you're you." She stopped speaking finally and bit her bottom lip, wondering if she had said too much. She kept her gaze on Nate's eyes, waiting for his response.

At first he didn't respond. Then, slowly, the guarded look slipped away, replaced by a warm, happy smile. He closed his fingers around Lacey's hand under his. "Thanks. I don't think I deserved all that, but thanks anyway."

Lacey chuckled nervously. "Of course you did."

"Well, you should know something." Nate's eyes were twinkling now, and he was still smiling at her. "I happen to really like this incredible girl. And you know what one of the best things I like about her is?"

Almost forgetting to breathe, Lacey slowly shook her head, completely mesmerized by Nate's eyes.

He leaned forward until his face was inches away from hers and whispered, "She puts up with me when I'm stupid, and knows exactly how to make me feel better." Nate put his free hand on Lacey's shoulder and leaned closer. Lacey closed her eyes, anticipating the moment. His lips met hers in a soft, shy kiss. Lacey thought her heart would stop.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I read them all, I just don't have time to reply to them all right now! I've been so busy getting ready for school (starting tomorrow!) and I've been kind of overwhelmed. But once I settle into a routine, I think I'll be able to get back to updating every other day or so and reply to your reviews.**

**In the meantime, please keep reading, enjoying, and REVIEWING! :-)**

The guys had taken her home right after they had all finished their hot chocolate. Lacey had very sweet dreams on Friday night.

Saturday was always a busy day at the ice cream parlor. Lacey had to work the closing shift, and the Grays were all doing something together in the morning, so Lacey didn't get to see them all day. She was disappointed, and it only made her mood worse when she dragged up to her bedroom after work.

Lacey threw her purse and her coat onto her bed, and picked up her cell. She had left it at home – another thing that put her in a bad mood – and now she had several text messages.

All of them were from Nate.

Lacey's mood immediately improved and she sank into her desk chair to read them in chronological order.

**Good morning. I hope you had sweet dreams, I did.** Lacey wished she had seen this one before she left for work, then she would have been able to reply to it. But she had put her phone on the charger the night before and completely forgotten about it. She moved on to the next message.

**Okay, I like going out for brunch and all, but this is boring. **Lacey laughed. She could imagine Nate's face.

**LACEY WHERE ARE YOU? I am about to die of boredom…**

**Guess you are at work now. Wish we could see you, but we're stuck visiting more family. **That one was sent around 2:30, right when Lacey would have been on her way to work.

The next one had been sent later in the evening. **I miss you.** Lacey smiled to herself. She twirled happily in her desk chair and closed her eyes briefly, thinking of Nate. Then she looked down at her phone again. There were still two more messages to read.

**Bobby wants another picture, by the way. He wants one of a dinosaur. Me, too.** Lacey laughed again and moved on to the next one.

**Call me when you get home, don't care how late. I want to hear your voice. Miss you.**

Grinning like a fool, Lacey put her phone down and ran out of the room, all traces of bad mood gone. She took a fast shower and changed into warm PJs. After a few minutes, she was settled and cozy in her bed. That's when she picked up her cell and called Nate, hoping he really meant it when he said he didn't care how late it was since it was almost midnight.

"Hey!" he answered.

"You weren't sleeping, were you?" Lacey asked.

"No," Nate answered. "Well, I was, but you didn't wake me up. I woke up before you called."

"Oh, that worked out well." Lacey smiled. "How did that happen?"

"Well…" Nate sounded sheepish, "I set my alarm so I wouldn't miss your call."

Lacey burst out laughing, but managed to keep quiet so she wouldn't wake anyone up. She didn't know what to say about that, even though she was very flattered, so she asked, "Well, how was your day?"

"Boring." Nate sighed dramatically. "I love my family, but they sure can talk."

"I know how you feel," Lacey replied sympathetically.

"Are you drawing Bobby's picture?"

"Nope."

"Are you drawing mine?"

Lacey laughed again. She felt happier than she could ever remember feeling. "Nope."

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"I'm way too tired to draw tonight," Lacey answered, yawning.

"Oh, well, I won't keep you up then," Nate said, becoming serious. "But before you go, guess what?"

"I have no clue."

"You're supposed to guess!" Nate whined.

"I'm way too tired for guessing games, too, Nate," Lacey said as though she were talking to a little kid.

"Oh fine," Nate huffed, but Lacey could hear the grin in his voice. "We're coming to your house for lunch tomorrow after church."

Lacey sat bolt upright in bed, eyes wide. "What?"

"Your dad called my dad earlier and invited all of us over." Nate sounded excited.

Lacey was desperately trying to think of something to wear. Normally she wasn't that concerned and almost never had trouble choosing an outfit, but for once it was high on her list of priorities.

"You there?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Lacey laughed lightly and relaxed. She was being stupid. She needed to just get some rest and then she could worry about the outfit tomorrow.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just trying to decide what to wear."

Nate laughed. "It's after midnight, Lace!"

"I know, I know." If Nate were in the room, she would have stuck her tongue out at him. "Which is why I'm going to bed now instead of worrying about what to wear."

"Good," said Nate decisively. "Doesn't matter what you wear, anyway, you always look great."

"Thanks, Nate," Lacey softly said.

"It's true," Nate insisted. "But I'll let you go to sleep now. Thanks for calling me. I thought maybe you were mad at me when you didn't text back." He said the last part in a joking tone of voice, but Lacey could detect seriousness underneath that.

"Well, that's my fault," she explained. "I put my phone on to charge last night and completely forgot about it all day today." _Had a few other things on my mind_, she thought to herself and smiled.

Nate laughed, almost as though he knew what she was thinking. Maybe he did; Lacey wondered if he could read her mind sometimes. "Well, silly, you owe me about a hundred texts, then."

"A hundred? You only sent me six!" Lacey protested.

"Interest. It builds up you know."

Lacey sighed with pretend annoyance. "Goodnight, Nathan."

"Keep putting it off and the interest will keep building up," he teased.

"I said goodnight."

"Of course, you don't have to pay me back in text messages."

"Goodnight."

"I might accept another form of payment…"

Lacey blushed and didn't say anything.

Nate laughed. "Haha, I win. Goodnight, Lace."

"Goodnight, Nate," Lacey couldn't help laughing, too.

She hung up and set her phone on the nightstand. She was grinning like an idiot again. She couldn't believe how happy she felt. She felt as though all was right with the world and nothing could ever go wrong again. Lacey rolled onto her side and reached to turn off the lamp on her nightstand. Just then her phone vibrated, making her jump. She switched off the light before picking up her phone and opening it. It was another text message from Nate.

**Miss you.**

Lacey laughed and texted back, _We just talked!_

**I know, but still.**

_Me, too. _Lacey smiled and tried to think of what to say. _See you tomorrow. Sweet dreams._

It was almost a minute later when Nate's reply came. **You, too. I already know I'll be dreaming of you. Can't wait to see you again.**

Lacey stared at the message for a long time with a soft smile on her face before she set her phone back onto the nightstand. She scooted under the covers until they were pulled up to her chin and curled up in a ball. Lacey shut her eyes, thinking of Nate and looking forward to the next afternoon.

She fell asleep with a smile on her face.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I'm so excited, I have oodles of reviews and people favoriting and so on.... You should see how excited I am! Thank you everyone who is reading and stuff.**

**Big thanks to lenayaj14, mdemp92, and xojonasbrothersxo for their constant support. To my two new reviewers, Ace12 and XDPurpleTiggersXD, also a huge thanks for your VERY enthusiastic reviews! I'm glad you all like my story so well. Please continute to R & R! :-)**

"Dad!" Lacey attacked her dad the next morning with a hug when she met him in the hallway.

"Well, good morning, Lacey," he chuckled, hugging her back. "What's this all about?"

"You invited the Grayes over for lunch." Lacey took a step back and beamed up at her dad.

He raised one eyebrow. "Yes, I did. I've known Jason Gray, Sr., for a long time, and since you are friends with the boys, I thought you might appreciate it. Was I right?"

Lacey just nodded, still beaming. She now understood the expression "walking on air" because that's what she was doing this morning. She didn't think the day could get any better. "Thanks, Dad."

"Someone is having a good morning," he said, chuckling again as he turned to head downstairs for breakfast.

Her mom and Jenna both also noticed Lacey's good mood at breakfast, though neither commented out loud. Lacey ate a bowl of cereal and gulped down her orange juice before bolting back upstairs to finish getting ready for church.

She was already wearing a long, flowing white skirt and glittery green sweater. She decided to wear her green boots with that, and wrapped a green and pink scarf around her neck. Lacey had styled her hair, which was now just below her shoulders, so that it waved softly around her face. Silver hoop earrings completed her outfit. Lacey analyzed her appearance in her mirror, unable to wipe the smile from her face as she thought of spending the day with Nate. When she was satisfied that she looked her best, she picked up her purse, Bible, and coat and went downstairs.

They reached church a few minutes early. As they slid into their pew, Lacey looked around, but Mrs. Small wasn't in her usual place yet and the Grayes were nowhere to be seen, either. Lacey sat back in the pew and lowered her eyes to read the bulletin. She looked up every so often to smile and greet the people settling into their own seats around her.

The service started and the Grayes and Mrs. Small still hadn't arrived. Lacey figured they were probably just running late, but that wasn't like Mrs. Small. Finally, during the middle of the first hymn, they came filing into Mrs. Small's usual pew three rows ahead of Lacey's family. Lacey continued to sing, but her eyes were fixed on Nate. When the hymn ended and everyone was told to sit down, he tossed a smile over his shoulder at Lacey, which she returned.

The sermon was interesting, which was a good thing. If it hadn't been, Lacey probably would not have been able to pay any attention. As it was, Lacey still couldn't help being happy when the church service was over.

Her family was still standing by their pew when Mrs. Small and the Grayes walked by on their way out.

"Thank you for having us," Mrs. Gray said to Lacey's parents with a smile.

"It's our pleasure," Lacey's dad replied. "It'll be nice to catch up."

"I have a cake out in the car," Mrs. Small said, and everyone smiled appreciatively. She was known far and wide for her excellent baking.

"We have to leave because I have to get the food started," Lacey's mom said. "You all can come whenever you're ready."

"We'll just follow you," Mr. Gray answered.

"Lacey can ride with us," Nate jumped in, putting his hand on Lacey's shoulder. She hadn't realized he was standing so close behind her until she felt his touch.

"Great, let's head out, then." Lacey's dad led the way out of the church and they all filed to their respective cars.

The guys had their parents' car while Mr. and Mrs. Gray and Bobby rode with Mrs. Small in her van. Jason and Shane sat up front, leaving the backseat for Nate and Lacey. Lacey wondered if Nate had talked to his brothers or if they even had any clue. They weren't acting like they knew anything, but that didn't really mean anything.

As soon as the car started moving, Nate placed his right hand palm up on the middle seat, smiling at Lacey and inviting her to put her hand in his.

She did, lacing her fingers through his and smiling at him warmly. "Hi," she said softly, unheard by Jason and Shane, who were having their own, rather loud, discussion.

"Missed you," was Nate's reply, and he gently squeezed her hand.

"Me, too." Lacey tilted her head toward his brothers and asked, with a slight blush, "Do they know?"

Nate, also blushing slightly, nodded. "Yeah, I tell them everything."

Lacey nodded.

"Do you mind?" he asked, looking concerned.

"No, I'm actually glad they know," Lacey laughed. "It makes it easier." She shrugged and cleared her throat. "I hope you like spaghetti. Mom makes the best."

"Good, I'm starved." Nate grinned at her.

"You're always starved," Shane said, turning in his seat to face them. Lacey wondered briefly how much of their conversation he had been listening to, but decided it didn't really matter.

"Look who's talking," Nate retorted. Lacey liked how he was completely at ease holding her hand in front of his brothers. "You're the one who—"

"Oh, look, we're here!" Jason interrupted loudly, forestalling anymore argument. They were just pulling into Lacey's driveway.

Nate was out of the car in a flash and around to open Lacey's door before she even realized the car had stopped. She smiled gratefully when he reached out a hand to help her out, and squeezed his fingers when he started to pull his hand away. She stepped closer to him and wrapped her left hand around his arm so he couldn't pull away as they walked up to the house. She didn't care who saw or what they thought – as long as her parents didn't say anything embarrassing, which she doubted they would.

Once inside, it felt almost like Thanksgiving. The house was full of people and noise. The TV was on and the dads were watching football while they talked. The moms and Jenna were in the kitchen fixing lunch. Lacey had barely taken off her coat when she felt a small body slam into hers and arms wrap around her waist.

"I missed you!"

"I missed you, too, little buddy," Lacey laughed, bending down to be able to hug Bobby better.

"I missed you a bazillion!" he retorted, wanting to show that he missed her more than just "two" like she missed him. "Thank you for the picture, I put it in my book so it won't get wrinkled."

"Good idea," Lacey said seriously.

"Mommy said to."

Lacey nodded. "Your mommy is one smart lady."

"Will you draw me a dinosaur?" Bobby was looking up at her with eager eyes. "Nate wants one, too."

Lacey laughed, glancing at Nate, who was standing off to the side with his hands in his pockets and an amused smile on his face. "I could probably do that for you. But for now, let me go put my stuff upstairs, okay? I'll be right back." She pried Bobby's arms from around her waist and then headed upstairs to put away her purse, Bible, and coat. She quickly brushed out her hair and was just about to go back downstairs when Jason appeared in her doorway. "Oh, hey."

"Hey, it's almost time to eat," he informed her, stepping inside the room when she waved him in. "This is your room, huh?"

"Yup." Lacey sat on her bed, looking around, trying to see it through Jason's eyes. "It's not much, but I like it."

Jason took in her framed drawings on the walls and the ones she had tacked on her corkboard. "You are a very good artist."

Lacey shrugged, smiled, and looked away. "Thanks. It's fun."

Jason wandered over to look at the drawings on her corkboard more closely. Lacey had her electric guitar and amp drawing up there along with the drawing she had done of Connect Three after the second concert she had seen. "This is us," Jason commented sounding surprised. Lacey didn't respond. Jason looked down at her desk, and stood there silently studying something before he reached down and picked up a piece of paper.

Lacey realized with a skip of a heartbeat that it was the drawing she had done of Nate sleeping. She didn't say anything, waiting to see what Jason would say.

When he spoke, it was in a very soft voice. "You really care for him, don't you?"

"Yes," Lacey whispered back.

"Has he seen this picture?"

"No."

"You should show it to him."

Lacey eyes widened. "No!" she exclaimed, still speaking softly but very emphatically. She felt as though she had poured out her soul in that drawing. She cared for Nate more than she could express in words, and she had put all that into the drawing. Even Jason had read into it the emotion she had put in. She wasn't ready for Nate to see it – she didn't even know if she was ready for Jason to see it. But she wasn't going to explain all that to Jason. She hoped he would understand without an explanation and sat there pleading silently with her eyes.

Jason looked over at her, then back at the picture before setting it on the desk. "Well, it's up to you. But I really think he should see it."

"Not right now," Lacey amended her statement. She did want to show it to Nate someday, but not yet. If he hated it, she would be humiliated.

"Well, let's go eat," Jason said, smiling and putting Lacey at ease.

She preceded Jason downstairs, still pondering the conversation they had just had.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thank you for your patience and bearing with me. I know my updates are not as frequent as they were, and they are not as frequent as I would like them to be. I'm still getting used to this insane (horrible) school schedule and such, so that's my excuse. Please forgive me!**

**Thanks for reading, and super much thanks for reviewing! Forgive me for not naming you all individually but it is 12:30 am and I am exhausted. **

**Enjoy. :-)**

Everyone had a good time at lunch. The more Lacey got to know Mr. and Mrs. Gray, the more she liked them. After lunch, the adults offered to do the cleanup and the kids headed into the den to play some board games. They wiled away the afternoon, digging through the game closet until they found the best board games and played them all. After several hours of board games, everyone took a break to have some of Mrs. Small's cake.

They all returned to the den to eat it. Lacey grinned when Nate sat down on the arm of the oversized chair she was occupying. He didn't say anything, but smiled back.

After they were finished eating, Lacey stood, took her plate and Nate's into the kitchen. She set them into the sink and ran some water on them. She was just about to turn around to go back into the den when hands on her shoulders made her jump.

"Let's go for a walk," said Nate softly in her ear.

"Sounds like a good idea," Lacey answered with a smile. She blushed when Nate kissed her on the cheek. "I have to get my coat, I'll be right back." She reached up and briefly squeezed one of his hands before running upstairs. She threw on her coat and wrapped a scarf around her neck.

Nate was sitting on the bottom step waiting for her when she came back downstairs. He smiled and wordlessly took her hand, leading her toward the front door.

The adults all looked up when they walked through the living room.

"We're going for a walk," Nate explained, still holding Lacey's hand.

"We'll probably just go down the road a little ways," Lacey added, trying very hard not to blush. "We might explore the woods."

"Have fun," Lacey's dad told them with a grin.

"Be good," Mr. Gray added with a similar grin.

Lacey thought Nate blushed a little bit, but she wasn't sure. He laughed and waved before opening the door for Lacey and walking outside.

Lacey, on the other hand, was blushing furiously and was glad for the cold air that would quickly turn her face back to the normal color.

Before her blush disappeared, through, Nate noticed. He squeezed her hand as they walked down the driveway toward the road. "What's wrong?" he asked with a grin.

"Why do dads have to be so embarrassing?" Lacey asked, shaking her head.

"Oh, they're not that bad," Nate replied, laughing. "They could be lots worse, trust me."

"I'm sure they could, but I'm really glad they're not!"

Nate laughed again. "Don't be embarrassed. They just like to pick on us."

"I noticed." But Lacey couldn't help but smile. She actually kind of liked the teasing, she had to admit. They were walking down the road now and her cheeks were back to normal. She glanced over at Nate who was looking down at her. "So where do you want to walk?"

"Oh, I don't know, it was just an excuse to be alone with you." Nate squeezed her hand again. His tone turned wistful. "I guess you have to go back to school tomorrow, huh?"

"Yeah, back to the real world." Lacey sighed and made a face. "I feel like I've been living a fairy tale the past couple of days."

"Me, too."

They were silent for a few seconds, then Lacey spoke again. "I could probably find someone to cover my shifts, though, so that I can spend more time with you."

"Well, I don't want you to lose money because of me."

"You're worth it," Lacey insisted. "I want to spend time with you while...while I can." She suddenly wished she hadn't said anything. She didn't want to think about any of the Grayes leaving, but especially Nate. They would only be around for about another week and a half and then life really would go back to normal. Lacey didn't know what she would do with herself when they left.

Nate let go of her hand in order to put his arm around her shoulders. "Me, too." He paused. "I don't want to leave."

"Oh, silly," Lacey tried to made things lighthearted. "Of course you do. If you don't go back, think of all the zillions of disappointed girls that would be around the country if you didn't go home and go tour."

"There's only one girl I'm concerned about right now."

Lacey slid her arm around Nate's waist and squeezed lightly so that he would know she appreciated those words, but she continued to joke, "You'll be concerned about them when your sales plummet."

Nate seemed to understand that she wanted to change the subject, so he laughed and went along with the joking and the conversation turned to lighter topics for the remainder of the walk. After a while, they turned to go back to the house, but instead of going inside, Lacey led Nate into the woods behind the house a little way. He didn't ask for an explanation, just followed quite willingly along behind her.

After a few moments of walking, they came to what Lacey thought of as her own little piece of the world. It was just a small clearing. At the far end, Lacey had gotten her dad to hang the old porch swing from a tree branch. She had an airtight container sitting nearby in which she stored the cushions for the swing, some blankets, and a drawing pad and some pencils.

"What do you think?" Lacey asked. She walked over to put the cushions on the swing so they could sit, and she pulled out a blanket to cover up with.

"This is a great place."

"It's where I come to be alone, find some peace and quiet, that sort of thing." Lace explained. She sat on the now-cushioned swing and motioned for Nate to join her.

"Makes me wish I had my guitar with me." Nate sank down next to her on the swing, and Lacey threw half of the blanket over him. "Looks like you're pretty well set up here."

"Oh yeah." Lacey reached for her paper and pencils and began to draw. "I could live out here and be perfectly happy."

Nate began to swing, but slowly so he wouldn't disturb Lacey while she was drawing. "Well, you might want to shower or eat sometimes." He scooted down somewhat so he could lean his head on the back of the swing.

"Well, maybe," Lacey agreed, only half listening. They held little conversation while she drew. Nate asked for a piece of paper and a pencil and she handed them to him, but otherwise she concentrated on her drawing. She glanced up at Nate every so often as she drew him with a thoughtful look on his face. About an hour later, Lacey was just finishing. In the picture, Nate had his hands crossed under his chin and looked very deep in thought.

Just as Lacey set the pencil down, Nate set his down, too.

"What did you write?" Lacey asked him.

Nate shrugged. "Just some song ideas. Nothing solid." He leaned over to see what she had drawn. "What about you?"

Lacey signed and dated the picture quickly before holding it out for Nate to look at.

He studied it for a moment and then smiled and looked up at Lacey. "This is good. I think you made me look better than I do in real life, though."

With a laugh, Lacey scooted close to Nate and cuddled up to him. "No. You look a hundred times better in real life than you do in my drawing."

Nate put his arm around her shoulders and reached up with his free hand to turn Lacey's head so she was facing him. He leaned down to kiss her, just as softly as their first kiss. When he pulled away, he sighed and pulled her closer to his side. "I'm going to miss you when we leave, Lace."

"I'll miss you, too, Nate." Lacey didn't try to change the subject this time.

"I wonder..."

When Nate didn't continue, Lacey pressed, "Wonder what?"

"I wonder if it would have been less painful if we had never gotten to know each other," he finished almost in a whisper.

Lacey jerked away from him, staring at him in shock. "You would give this up just to make it easier on yourself when you leave?" she asked, appalled.

"No, not to make it easier on me - to make it easier on you," Nate explained, pleading with his eyes for her to understand. "Maybe it would have been better if you hadn't met me."

Unable to listen to him talking anymore, Lacey flung her arms around Nate's neck and kissed him. He sighed, wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed back. After Lacey pulled away, she stared into Nate's eyes. "You don't mean that. I wouldn't trade knowing you for anything in the world."

"Even though we'll hardly get to see each other? Even though I'll be on tour? Even though there will be a zillion crazy girls everywhere I go?" Nate was trying to joke, but it was very weak. Lacey could tell he was really concerned, and it made her stomach flip when she realized he really did care about her that much.

"Yes," Lacey told him firmly. "Even then. It will just make us appreciate the time that we _do_ have together even more. And it's not like we'll _never_ see each other - after all, you have family here and you'll be around on tour."

Nate squeezed her and kissed her lightly on the lips. "You always know just what to say to make me feel better."

"You, too," Lacey told him with a smile. Then she slowly pulled away from him and stood up. She helped him up, too, and they put everything back into the airtight container except for the drawing and the song ideas. "I think hot chocolate sounds amazing, what about you?" Lacey asked, snapping the lid on top of her container.

"Yes, excellent idea." Nate grabbed her hand and pulled her close to kiss her again. He pulled away with a smile. "I could get used to this. I could live right here and be perfectly happy."

"You might want to shower or eat once in a while," Lacey told him, laughing. She reached up to push the curls out of his face and run her fingers through his hair. She pulled his face back down to hers, smiling as he quite willingly met her lips with his own. _He's not the only one who could get used to this_, she thought to herself.

It was several more minutes before they headed back inside for the hot chocolate.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thank you for continuing to read and review! I read every single review - it makes my day when I see the emails in my inbox telling me I have reviews! Forgive me if I haven't replied to them yet, and please forgive me for not listing names here. I'm in my third week of school and the workload is beginning to pick up. But I do read all the reviews and I will get around to replying to them all, so please don't give up on me!**

**One special thanks to Canon and Gramma Queen for so _kindly_ (sarcastic) letting me know that Chapter 1 was the wrong version of the chapter. I went back and fixed that problem, so you don't have to worry about it anymore.**

**From here on out, I want it known that I really, really appreciate criticism as long as it's constructive and at least polite. Calling me "moronic" and "selfish" was not polite, and I don't appreciate that. It was uncalled for. I don't have time or energy for people who are so childish as you.**

**And that's all I'm going to say on the subject from now on! Haha!**

**Enjoy!**

It wasn't any easier than Lacey had expected it to be after Nate left. Over the last couple of weeks she had grown so accustomed to seeing him all the time; suddenly not having him there was one of the hardest things Lacey had ever had to go through. Her parents and sister understood and were supportive and encouraging, so that helped. Lacey threw herself into school and work. She didn't really have any close friends to hang out with to take her mind off things, so she had to distract herself in other ways.

She talked to Nate every day, even if it was only for a second to say hi. Lacey knew he was busy, so she understood when he couldn't always hold a real conversation and she appreciated it whenever he did talk to her. She loved hearing his voice for any amount of time. They texted each other throughout the day, and Lacey talked to Bobby a lot since he wasn't as busy as his brothers were.

Lacey had been fearful when Nate first left that the distance would weaken their relationship. That thought had upset her much more than the Grays' actual departure did. But as time went on, Lacey realized that their relationship was actually growing stronger. They were growing closer even when they weren't able to talk long. They were learning how to communicate without being together or even holding a real conversation. So even though it wasn't easy not seeing Nate, Lacey was relieved that she didn't have to worry about their relationship anymore.

Time passed quickly for Lacey because she was forcing herself to keep busy. It gradually became more routine and Lacey got more used to her life. Usually she would get up and go to school in the morning, then go straight to work in the afternoon. Her evenings were spent on homework and drawing. Saturdays she sometimes worked part of the day, but what time she wasn't working was dedicated to spending time with her family. Lacey bought her own car – a used, dark green, sportsy-looking Saturn that she fell in love with.

Before either Lacey or Nate knew it, it was close to the end of the school year and Connect Three had another tour well underway. Lacey's birthday passed in April, and she was thrilled with the gift Nate gave her – tickets to all their concerts within a five hour drive as well as travel and hotel arrangements when needed. There wasn't anything else that Lacey would have wanted from him. Their first concert that Lacey would be going to would be the end of May at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater where she had first seen them play.

Two weeks before the concert, Lacey had just climbed into bed when her cell phone rang. She smiled – Nate always called about this time if he could talk for a while. Lacey was tired, but she didn't care. It was Friday and she didn't have to work the next day, so she knew she could stay up all night talking to Nate if she wanted to.

"Hey," she answered in a soft voice. Lacey switched off the lamp and lay down, getting comfortable.

"Hey, babe!"

Lacey laughed. Nate was obviously in a good mood tonight. "How are you?"

"Tired. How are you?"

"Same. How was your concert?"

Nate laughed. "Wow…there were these girls there that…oh man…" He paused. "Oh, Shane wants to tell you about it, hang on."

The next forty-five minutes, Lacey got to talk to all the boys. She even got to talk to Bobby for a minute when he said goodnight. Eventually, though, they settled down and Lacey was able to hold an actual conversation with Nate.

"I miss you," he said, more sober than he had been when Lacey answered the phone. "It feels like years since I've seen you."

"I know, me too." Lacey smiled. "I'll be seeing you in two weeks, though!"

"Oh yeah!" Nate sounded excited again. "I totally forgot to tell you! Guess what!"

"I have no idea," Lacey laughed.

"Well, the concert's on Saturday, but we are actually going to get there on Thursday night and we'll have Friday afternoon free!"

Lacey's jaw dropped. She didn't know what to say. This was too good to be true.

"Lace?"

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. Completely."

"Nate?"

Nate chuckled. "Yes?"

"Friday evening is the end of school dance." Lacey hesitated. She really wanted to go with Nate, but she didn't know if he would want to be seen in public, especially at a high school where girls were likely to go bananas seeing him there. She forced her tone to remain neutral. "Would you want to go with me?" Suddenly, Lacey wished she hadn't asked. She didn't want to put any pressure on Nate to do something like that; she knew he get tired of having fans all over the place all the time. "You know what?" she said abruptly. "Just forget it, you don't--"

"Lacey, shut up," Nate laughed. "If you want to go, I'll be glad to go with you."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"Well...it's at a high school. Do you know how insane it will be with all the girls there?"

Nate laughed again and joked, "Well, you know, girls go nuts over me."

"Don't I know it." Lacey rolled her eyes. "I finally had to tell a couple of the girls at work to never mention your name around me because you're all they would ever talk about!"

"Really?"

"Don't let it go to your head," Lacey warned playfully, knowing very well that he wouldn't.

"No, what do they say about me?"

Lacey shook her head. Typical. "Oh, you know, the usual. That you're hot, you sing well, you have an adorable smile, you have incredible eyes, that you're an amazingly nice person, and so on."

"And what would you say?"

"I would tell them that they obviously don't know you well."

"WHAT!?"

Lacey laughed and had to remind herself to be quiet. "Just kidding, Nate, of course."

"So what did you say for real?"

"I agreed and told them they didn't know the half of it," Lacey answered seriously this time.

"Thanks." Lacey could hear the smile in Nate's voice. They talked for almost two hours before Nate finally said he had to go. After they hung up, Lacey fell asleep with a smile on her face, thinking that the next two weeks would probably be the slowest of her life.

- - - - -

Lacey survived. She was more excited about the dance than anyone else she knew, only because she would be seeing Nate again. The prospect of seeing him again in such a short amount of time made her realize how much she missed him. Lacey bought a new dress – a royal green spaghetti strap, knee-length dress that had delicate black velvet designs on the bodice. It came with a shawl made of a flowing material that was a shade lighter than her dress; it would wrap around her shoulders and secure right at her collarbone with a tiny button. She already had black strappy heels that would match perfectly.

She began counting down the days. Lacey couldn't wait until the end of school. She had the dance to look forward to, which also meant time with Nate. But she also had the concert the day after the dance, plus a few more concerts over the next month after that, thanks to Nate's birthday present. Lacey was sure this would be the best summer of her life and she was itching to get started.

- - - - -

Nate was just as excited. Lacey could tell whenever he called. And the Wednesday before they would be seeing each other was no exception.

"Nate! Only two more days!" was how Lacey answered the phone that evening. She knew he wasn't going to be able to talk long because it was much earlier this evening – around four. But she was going to make the most of the conversation time they had.

"I can't wait," was his reply. Lacey could hear his smile, but she could also hear tiredness in his voice.

"How are you?" Lacey asked immediately.

"Okay. Just tired today for some reason." Nate was trying to sound normal, but he couldn't hide the weariness in his voice.

"Don't wear yourself out," Lacey cautioned lightly, even though she was a little worried. It wasn't like him to be so worn out. "I expect you to dance with me all night on Friday."

"Well, we'll see if I'll have time…I have a lot of people to dance with, you know."

"Nate!" Lacey squealed indignantly. "If you were here, I would smack you."

Nate laughed and even in his laugh Lacey could hear how tired he was. "And if you were here I would kiss you. But I need to go, it's time to get ready for the concert."

"Okay." Lacey kept smiling. She didn't want Nate to hear how sad she was to have to say goodbye. "Have fun, and get some rest tonight."

"Will do. Miss you."

"I miss you more."

Nate just laughed and said goodbye. The smile slipped off of Lacey's face almost as soon as she flipped her cell phone shut. Something wasn't right. She could feel it. Nate was not himself, and he was trying unsuccessfully to hide that from her. Lacey decided that the next time she talked to Nate, she would demand an explanation.

Late that night, Lacey was just turning off her light when her cell phone vibrated on the nightstand. She picked it up and smiling when she saw Nate's name on the caller ID. Maybe she would get her chance to interrogate him sooner than she thought.

"Hey," Lacey answered in a soft voice.

"Lacey?" That was _not_ Nate's voice – it sounded like Jason.

A shiver of uncertainty shot down Lacey's spine and settled in her stomach. She didn't think that Jason would be calling her on Nate's cell unless something wasn't right. "What's wrong?" Lacey immediately asked.

"It's not bad, everyone's okay," Jason was quick to speak in a reassuring tone. "Nate hasn't been feeling well the last couple of days, and we had to take him to the emergency room tonight after the concert."

Lacey gasped. Her eyes were wide with horror and her free hand automatically went to the snowflake necklace around her neck. "Is he okay?" she asked in a whisper, barely able to choke out the words.

"Yes, he's okay. We don't know exactly what's going on with him, the doctors are running tests," Jason was speaking quickly, obviously eager to set her at ease. "But he's fine. We might have to stay in Philadelphia for a couple days, though, depending on how the tests come out and stuff."

Lacey didn't speak for a minute. She suddenly had the urge to run out to her car and drive up to Philadelphia immediately, but that was practically impossible. And Jason did say that Nate was okay.

"Lacey, you there?" Now Jason sounded worried.

"Yeah." Lacey swallowed. "Are you sure he's okay?"

"He's not feeling too great right now, but he'll be fine in a day or so," Jason told her. "It's his diabetes, but he's been doing everything he's supposed to, so that's why the doctors are running tests. But he's in the hospital now, so he'll be okay."

People could die from diabetes, couldn't they? Lacey was pretty sure they could. But Jason was saying that Nate would be fine. She didn't know how he could know that, but he had more experience with it than she did. "Okay," Lacey said slowly. "Will I be able to talk to him? I know I can't tonight, but tomorrow?"

"Maybe. I'll tell him that you want him to call."

"But only if he's feeling up to it," Lacey added quickly, even though she was dying to talk to him right that second, just to hear his voice. "Tell him I'm praying for him – and you guys, too."

"Thanks, Lacey. We'll keep you updated."

"Thank you, Jason. I appreciate it. Tell Bobby hi for me."

They hung up seconds later and Lacey put her cell phone back on her nightstand, her eyes still wide with horror. She lay in bed with the light off for a while – she didn't know how long. Finally she fell asleep, still clutching her snowflake necklace that she never took off.

**A/N Again: By the way, this story is going to be ending within a few chapters, so if anyone has any ideas or anything/anyone specific they want me to write about, shoot me a PM or let me know in a review! I'm always open to ideas.**

**And check out mine and my sisters' YouTube vlog: .com/threeblugirls**

**Thanks!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thank you SO MUCH for your patience with me. This semester of school is turning out to be more work and harder work than I expected, so I've been devoting a lot more time to homework and studying than usual, which, sadly, means less time for writing. *sniff* I hope you guys don't hate me because of that! **

**As always, thank you for all the reviews! I read every single one of them and I love you all for sending them! *huggle* **

**This story is drawing to a close, as is Curiosity, so that means I need some new ideas! If you have anything in particular you want to read, please let me know. Any and all comments and suggestions are always welcome!**

It was a long day for Lacey after the phone call from Jason. She hadn't slept well at all. When she woke up there was a text from Nate's cell saying that they should be getting the results from the tests sometime today and that they would keep Lacey updated. Unfortunately, students were not permitted to carry cell phones with them at school, so Lacey had to leave hers in her car. The day dragged as she worried and wondered how Nate was doing and if anyone had tried to call or text her.

As soon as school was out, Lacey bolted to her car. She couldn't get the car door unlocked fast enough and dropped the key twice. Finally she slid into the driver's seat, plopped her backpack onto the passenger seat, and reached into the glove compartment for her phone. She pulled it out, her stomach doing flips as she opened the phone, not sure whether she was eager for news or dreading it.

Two missed calls and five text messages.

She read the messages first, in chronological order as always.

**We should have the test results this afternoon.** Apparently Jason still had Nate's phone.

**Nate is awake now and said he feels a little better.** Still Jason.

**It's Nate now. I miss you. Don't worry, I'll be fine.** Lacey smiled and went on to the next one, which appeared to be from Jason.

**Got the test results – don't understand much. Need to adjust Nate's meds.** That didn't sound too serious. Lacey began to relax slightly. She moved on to the last text message.

**Nate again. Call me when you get out of school. Miss you.**

Now for the voicemails. The first was from Jason telling her basically the same thing as his last text message. "Hey, Lacey, just wanted to let you know we got the test results. I've never been much for medical terminology, but basically they're going to have to adjust some of Nate's medicine. They're going to keep him another night just to be sure that everything is straight, but he's already doing a lot better. Told you he'd be fine!"

Despite Jason's "told you so," Lacey could tell that he was a lot more at ease today than he had been the night before. Lacey smiled again, completely relaxed now. Nate was going to be fine, everything was okay. She waited for the next message to play, and her stomach clenched when she heard Nate's voice.

"Hey, it's me. I know you're in school, but call me when you get out. I don't know if I'll be able to answer, but call anyway and leave a message. I want to talk to you like crazy. I…miss you."

Lacey melted at the simple message. It was so sweet and Nate sounded so sad that Lacey almost cried. She managed to blink back the tears and speed dial Nate's number. Just as he had warned, he didn't answer, but Lacey was sent to his voicemail.

"Hey, it's Nate. I can't answer right now, but please leave me a message and I'll get back to you when I can. If this is Lacey, I'll get back to you twice as fast."

Lacey burst out laughing and was still smiling when she left her message. "Very professional-sounding voicemail, Nate, I like it. I'm glad you're feeling better – I've been praying for you." Lacey paused for a split second, trying to think of what else to say. "Keep getting better. If I could, I would be right there with you right now. Call me if you can, but I understand if you can't. I miss you, too. Bye." She hung up with a sigh and rested her head against the headrest for a minute before driving home.

- - - - -

That night, Lacey had just finished a drawing and was getting ready to slide it into a folder when her cell phone rang. "Hello?" she answered when Nate's name showed up on the caller ID.

"Lace."

"Nate, how are you feeling?" Lacey dropped everything she was doing and waited to hear his reply.

"I'm fine, but, Lace, the dance."

It took Lacey a couple of seconds to figure out what on earth he was talking about. Then her eyes came to rest on her dress hanging on her closet door and she remembered that the end of school dance was the next day. The dance that she and Nate were supposed to be going to together, but now wouldn't.

Nate spoke again while Lacey thought through it all. "I'm really sorry about the dance. I wish there was some way I could make it up to you. I know you were really looking forward to it. But right now it's looking like we may not even be able to get out of here in time for the Saturday concert, so I may not even be able to see you then. I'm so, so sorry."

"Nate," Lacey spoke softly, "I don't care about the dance."

"Don't lie – I know you were excited about it." Nate sounded heartbroken and it nearly broke Lacey's heart to hear him talking in that tone of voice.

"Yeah, but it's not important. I just want you to get better. There will always be another dance."

"But…" Nate's voice grew very quiet, "I really wanted to go with you."

Tears sprang into Lacey's eyes and she fought hard to keep her voice even. "Thanks, Nate. I wanted to go, too, but it's not a big deal. I actually forgot all about it until just now," she added with a slight laugh, trying to cheer him up.

"Seriously?" Nate sounded skeptical.

"I'm totally serious," Lacey told him firmly. "It took me a couple of seconds to figure out what you were talking about." She picked up the folder she had put her drawings into and began to write on it. "I just want you to get better. That's all I care about right now."

"Okay," Nate sounded resigned. "I'll make it up to you somehow."

"Oh yeah, you owe me big time, dude," Lacey teased lightly. "We'll have to discuss this in more detail later. For now, you and I both need to get some rest."

"Are you still going to the dance?" Nate asked abruptly.

Lacey paused. She hadn't even considered it as a possibility. "I…probably not. Why?"

"You should go. Go have fun," Nate stated in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Why?" Why was Nate being so adamant about it?

"You should go have fun. I know you have a new dress and everything anyway—"

"How did you know I have a new dress?" Lacey interrupted. She hadn't said anything about it to him because she wanted it to be a surprise.

"You're a girl," Nate replied, as though stating the obvious, and they both laughed. "But, Lace, I'm serious. Go to the dance and have fun. I don't want you to have wasted your money on the new dress and then not go just because of me."

"But I don't want to go without—"

"No arguing," Nate spoke over her. "Go. Promise."

Lacey sighed. "Okay, fine. Why you want me to go and be bored to death, I don't know."

"At least try to enjoy it. For me."

"Okay, okay. Now you go to bed, mister. And let me go get some sleep. I have some catching up to do, thanks to you!"

Nate laughed and then they said goodnight and hung up. Lacey shook her head as she set her phone on her desk. Why in the world he would want her to go to the dance alone she didn't understand in the least. She had no desire to go to the dance now that she knew Nate wouldn't be there, but if that's what he wanted her to do, she would, for a little while anyway. Who knew? Maybe it would be fun. And at least she would get to wear her dress.

Lacey sighed again and set the folder of drawings down on her desk. It was finished. She had drawn designs all over the front of it. In the center she had written "Nathan Gray" in fancy writing. Lacey opened the folder and began flipping through it. Inside she had put all the drawings she had done of Nate, or for him, over the last couple of months. Some were rough sketches and some she had spent much more time on. Every single one was different, ranging from concerts to portraits, including the one she had drawn of him that day on the swing. The very last drawing of him was the one that Lacey had titled "Dreams" – the one of Nate sleeping. She still thought it was her best one, and she knew that there was a lot more emotion poured into it than the others.

She picked up the drawing she had just finished that evening and studied it for a moment. She had drawn Nate and herself. Lacey always felt strange drawing herself and didn't think she ever got herself to look just right, but this time she thought she'd done a pretty decent job. It was a profile view of the right side of Nate's face as he looked into the distance, facing slightly toward the viewer. Lacey's head was tucked under his chin, facing the viewer, but she was looking down. Her hand was holding up the snowflake charm on her necklace, and her eyes were fixed on that.

Lacey closed her eyes, imagining Nate's arms around her. Then she slid the last drawing into the folder with the others and went to bed. She fell asleep right away.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Getting closer to the end now, guys. Should be finished by the end of this month! *celebratory dance* So I'm thinking that I'll work on finishing every other story I have on here that's not completed before I start a new one. I'm crazy busy with school, so I don't want to get overly ambitious. Also, I have started an original story that I will be posting on and I want to be able to devote time to that as well.**

**Anyway, enough of my ramblings...read on and enjoy!**

**And as always, thank you SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!! for the reviews. Trust me, I love them all and they keep me inspired.**

Lacey was grumbling and asking herself why she had promised Nate she would go to the dance. She was remembering how much trouble it was to get ready for a dance. She didn't mind getting dressed up and going all out, but after having planned to go with Nate and now going by herself, it didn't even seem worth it anymore. She was already in her dress, and was now taking curlers out of her hair. She had been planning on having it put up, but didn't want to bother. After she finished her hair, she put on her jewelry and make-up and shoes.

Finally feeling that she was ready, Lacey took a step back and scrutinized her appearance in the mirror. Her hair was curling, held back from her face by a sparkly black headband. Her dangly earrings and matching choker and bracelet were fake onyxes, and her makeup was natural colors except for her green eye shadow. Her small black purse that she had borrowed from her mom completed her outfit.

Lacey shrugged, satisfied with her appearance, and headed downstairs.

"You look beautiful," her dad greeted her at the bottom of the stairs.

"Thanks, Dad," Lacey laughed and hugged him. She was grateful that her family was so great – very understanding and supportive. "I probably won't stay late."

"That's fine, just have fun," he replied.

Lacey waved and opened the front door. She took a step out onto the porch and then stopped in her tracks, almost falling over in her shock.

A black limo was parked at the end of her driveway.

"Dad?" Lacey called over her shoulder. She glanced back at him and saw that he was already standing right behind her with a wide grin on his face. "What's going on?"

In reply, he just nodded in the direction of the limo, and Lacey looked where he was looking.

Jason and Shane had climbed out of the limo and were walking up toward her, dressed to kill in matching tuxedos. Lacey's jaw dropped as they walked up and came to a stop at the bottom of the porch steps. They were both grinning in amusement at her surprise.

"Have fun," Lacey's dad told her, giving her a little nudge.

"Guys, what's going on?" Lacey asked, still trying to overcome her shock.

"Nate sent us," Jason explained.

"Yeah," Shane piped up. "He felt guilty that he couldn't come, so he sent us to take you to the dance. And you have to have a good time or Nate will kill us."

"That was the threat," Jason agreed. "So, basically, we're here to force you to have fun!"

Lacey couldn't help laughing. The shock was starting to fade away now, and she was actually beginning to look forward to the evening, even if she couldn't spend it with Nate. "Wow…" she said, walking down the porch steps toward the guys.

"Guess you weren't expecting it, huh?" Shane asked, grinning smugly.

Lacey shook her head slowly. "Not at all."

"Shall we go?" Jason offered his arm, which Lacey took, and the three of them walked down the driveway to the limo. Shane opened the door and Lacey ducked inside, followed by the brothers. There she found another surprise.

"Bobby!" she exclaimed happily, seeing the littlest Gray sitting inside the limo. He wasn't dressed up like his brothers; Bobby was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt and a wide grin. Lacey wrapped her arms around the little boy as soon as she was seated next to him.

"Lacey, I missed you a billion," he told her, squeezing her just as tightly as she was squeezing him.

"I missed you, too," she told him, resting her cheek on the top of his head. How she loved these guys. "Are you coming to the dance, too?" she teased and pulled away.

Bobby wrinkled his nose. "No, I'm going to Aunt Harriet's to spend the night."

"We all are," Jason jumped in. "The three of us are spending the night here, and then Shane and I are going to play the concert tomorrow night before we go back to Philly."

"You can do the concert without Nate?"

"Well…" Shane made a face. "It won't be as good or as fun, but we can make it work. We just hate to do nothing since people already bought tickets and stuff."

Lacey nodded. "Well good, that means I can still go." It definitely wouldn't be the same without Nate, but it would still be fun with Jason and Shane.

A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of the school. Lacey could see a lot of her schoolmates eyeing the limo, wondering who had such a fancy ride when it wasn't even prom. She smiled in amusement. It wasn't often she got this much attention – it was going to be an interesting evening.

Big Rob got out of the front passenger seat, where Lacey hadn't even known he was sitting, and came around to open the door. A lot of people were paying attention now. Lacey hugged Bobby goodbye and kissed him on the cheek, much to the little boy's chagrin. Then Jason and Shane slid out of the limo and helped Lacey out. They both offered her an arm, and she accepted both as they walked up to the gym doors, Big Rob following closely behind.

Lacey could hear the whispers all around her as they entered the building. People were wondering if that were really Jason and Shane Gray, and how Lacey knew them when hardly anyone knew who Lacey was. They had made it all the way to a table before a teenybopper finally approached them, almost hyperventilating.

"Oh my Gray, you're Jason and Shane!" she squealed. She held out a napkin and a pen, shaking as she did so. "Can I get your autograph?"

"Sorry, miss," Big Rob stepped forward. He kindly told her that Jason and Shane would not be signing autographs or taking pictures with anyone tonight. Several other people standing around heard him say that as well. While the crowd didn't disperse, no one else approached Lacey and the guys, and she was grateful. She felt bad for putting Jason and Shane through this.

"Sorry, guys, we don't have to stay," she told them quietly after they were all seated.

"Why not?" Jason asked, almost suspiciously.

"And anyway, we _do_ have to stay or Nate will kill us," Shane stated firmly.

Lacey laughed, but she pressed on. "People are going to be following you around and staring at you all evening. If you don't want to put up with that, we can go."

"Trust me, Lacey, we're used to it," Jason said, laughing.

Shane also waved off her concern. "That's why we've got Big Rob!" Then he promptly changed the subject, showing that, to him and Jason, the matter was settled.

They sat and talked for a long time before they finally decided to dance. Jason and Shane took turns dancing with Lacey, and they didn't dance with anyone else – even though they were asked several times. Lacey finally relaxed and did end up enjoying herself, even though she was always aware of the stares. She was just about to say that she wanted to go after another song ended, but Shane, who she was dancing with at the time, pulled away and left her in the middle of the dance floor, telling her not to move.

Lacey stood impatiently, wondering what the guys were up to now. Her feet were starting to hurt, even though her shoes were pretty comfortable. She watched the people around her talking and dancing while she stood. Seconds later, the song that was playing stopped right in the middle and everyone was looking around, wondering what was going on. Lacey looked up to the stage and saw Jason and Shane walking up there. Lacey eyed them suspiciously. She had known they were up to something.

"Hi guys," Jason said calmly, as if he weren't a famous pop star talking to a gym full of his fans. "Shane and I have something to say. We were sent here by our brother, who was unable to come, to ensure that his girlfriend Lacey had a good time."

Suddenly Lacey was standing under a spotlight, literally, and she sighed in exasperation.

"So that's why we're here and we hope that she has been having fun," Shane added, smiling in her direction when she nodded. "But there's one more job Nate gave us to do tonight. And that was to sing this song, dedicated to Lacey on Nate's behalf."

Lacey's eyes widened. These guys were full of surprises tonight.

The music started and Lacey instantly recognized "Hello Beautiful." She stood transfixed as the lights dimmed and the guys began to sing.

_Hello beautiful_

_How's it goin'_

_I hear it's wonderful_

_In Virginia_

_I've been missin' you_

_It's true_

_But tonight_

_I'm gonna fly_

_Yeah tonight_

_I'm gonna fly_

And that was when the tears sprang into Lacey's eyes. She tried to hold them back, not wanting to ruin her makeup. But as Jason and Shane continued to sing, the tears spilled over. This was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her, and Lacey wanted Nate to be there now, more than ever. She didn't move from the dance floor. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself, listening to the words and imagining Nate was actually there with her.

By the time the song ended, Lacey had managed to control her tears. The gym erupted into applause, and Jason and Shane smiled and waved briefly before making their way back down to Lacey, who went back over to the table to meet them. As they approached, Lacey threw herself into Shane's arms.

"Thank you so much, you guys are incredible," she said, squeezing him tightly and kissing him on the cheek, and then doing the same to Jason. "I will never forget this. It was amazing."

Jason and Shane laughed, pleased to see that she was so happy. Then Jason spoke up. "Lacey, we have an idea for how you can surprise Nate back."

This sounded like a good plan. Lacey was all ears.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: As always, thanks for the reviews! I've said it before and I'll say it again – the reviews keep me inspired and I'm always excited to see a new review in my email inbox. I can't believe how many I've had! Forgive me for not replying to them individually lately, but my life has been somewhat insane. I'm on spring break this week though, so I'm going to try to do lots of writing!**

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It was Saturday night. Lacey had been planning to go to the concert, but Jason and Shane's idea had changed all that. After some planning, several phone calls to the boys' parents, and a very long day, Lacey was standing in a hotel room listening to classical music.

Nate was being released from the hospital. Actually, he had been released that evening and was on his way to the hotel now. His parents thought that it might be more comfortable for him than the bus, since he needed to catch up on his sleep. He didn't sleep well in hospitals, Lacey had been told.

So now she was waiting for Nate to get there, and feeling a little nervous. She wasn't sure why, exactly. After all, it was just Nate. She'd been dying to see him for ages and now she finally would get to. She smiled slightly. Nate would be so surprised; Lacey hoped he would be as surprised to see her as she had been to see his brothers.

The hardest part had been to keep the secret from him when she talked to him on the phone. She was so used to telling him about everything and she was so excited about seeing him that it was hard to keep from blurting it out. But Lacey had managed and now here she was.

Jason and Shane's idea had been for Lacey to take the dance to Nate since he hadn't been able to go. Lacey was all for it, since it included seeing Nate _and_ his getting to see her all dressed up. They had worked it all out with Mr. and Mrs. Gray.

She looked at her appearance in the mirror for the umpteenth time. She looked just like she had the night before at the dance, including the snowflake necklace she always wore. But for some reason she felt like she still didn't look good enough. Lacey smoothed down some imaginary stray hairs and wrinkles in her dress. Any second now, Nate should be walking through the hotel room door.

Sure enough, Lacey heard voices in the hall and then the door handle rattling. The butterflies in her stomach went crazy. Lacey stood across the room from the door, so Nate would see her as soon as he walked in. She clasped her hands in front of her and pressed her lips together nervously.

"I probably won't be going to bed anytime soon," Lacey could hear Nate saying, and the door opened slightly. "I want to call Lacey and I'll probably talk to her for a while."

"Well, goodnight," Mrs. Gray said.

A few seconds later, the door opened and Nate walked in. He fumbled with the light switch for a second before he realized it was already on, and then he looked up – straight at Lacey.

He was wearing jeans and a long-sleeve shirt and his hair was wind-blown and rumpled. He looked tired and maybe a little pale, but not too bad, really. His eyes widened in shock and his jaw dropped. Lacey smiled shyly at him and held her arms out at her side as if to say, "Surprise."

"Lace?" he said in a whisper, as if he were afraid speaking out loud would make her evaporate.

"Hi, Nate," Lacey answered softly.

Without even bothering to close the door, Nate swiftly crossed the room and pulled Lacey into a tight hug. All her nervousness evaporated, and the butterflies in her stomach began to flutter with excitement instead. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and inhaled his scent. Lacey never wanted to move; she wanted time to freeze right at that instant forever.

Then Nate pulled back slightly to kiss her, and Lacey changed her mind. She liked this instant better.

After a moment, Nate pulled away and held her at arm's length, his hands on her upper arms. "Are you really here?" he asked, sounding dazed.

Lacey stared into his eyes, hardly able to believe they were finally together again. "I think so," she answered, smiling slightly in amusement.

"You look beautiful," Nate told her. "What are you doing here?"

The two statements were so unrelated that Lacey had to laugh. "Well, after you surprised me with the whole dance thing, Jason and Shane came up with this idea to surprise you. And since I did buy the dress and stuff planning to have you see me in it, I decided it was a good idea. Plus I kind of missed you a little bit."

Nate grinned. He reached up and touched the snowflake on her necklace with the tips of his fingers. "You're wearing it," he stated.

"I always do," Lacey replied. She smiled and tilted her head to the side. "Want to dance?"

In answer, Nate pulled her into his arms and they began a slow waltz around the room, talking quietly and getting caught up. They talked to each other every day on the phone while they were apart, but there was something about being able to talk in person that made it feel as though they really were catching up. After several minutes of dancing, Lacey pulled away. Nate looked at her questioningly, but she just took his hand and led him to the table, motioning for him to sit.

The nervousness returned slightly as she took her folder off the top of the dresser and handed it to him. It was her folder of drawings she had done for him, and Lacey was nervous to see his reaction. Neither of them said a word as Lacey sat across the table from Nate and watched him. He examined the front of the folder first, his name in the middle with all the designs around it. Then he wordlessly flipped it open and looked at the first drawing.

His face remained expressionless as he studied each and every drawing. He took his time as thought he were trying to memorize them. Lacey sat completely still, even though she could hardly bear it. She didn't like to be present when someone was looking at her work when she was really serious about it and about what the person thought. Lacey had her hands clasped tightly in her lap, and her eyes fixed on Nate.

He finally reached the second to last drawing – the one of the two of them. Lacey had organized the drawings with her favorites at the end, saving what she considered the best for last. Nate lingered longer on that drawing than he had on the others, and he actually smiled slightly. Lacey figured that was a good sign. Then he flipped that page over and saw the last one, the one of him sleeping. Lacey chewed on her bottom lip, waiting for some sort of reaction from him.

It seemed like years before Nate finally looked up, his face a blank mask. "Are these for me?" he asked softly.

"Yes," Lacey answered. Something was wrong, she was sure of it. He hated her work or he thought it was a tacky gift. Lacey didn't move, waiting for him to say whatever it was he had to say to her.

"This…this is amazing," he said, holding up the folder. His voice was husky. "I've never had anyone do anything like this for me before. Thank you, Lace. I don't know what to say. I wish I had something just as good to give you."

It was okay. He liked her drawings. Lacey relaxed and smiled brightly. She went to stand next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to give me anything, Nate. It's enough that I have you." Nate reached up and slid his arm around her waist, and Lacey began to smooth his hair back from his forehead. "Besides, you gave me something last night."

Nate stood and pulled her into a warm embrace. He kissed her softly and then pulled away and sighed. "I don't deserve you, Lace."

"No, you're right," Lacey teased. Then she grew serious. "I'm the one who doesn't deserve _you_."

"How can you say that?" Nate asked curiously. "Look at you. You're gorgeous. You got all dressed up just to see me. And look at me – I look like a bum."

"A very cute bum," Lacey amended, hugging him and resting her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "Nate, you know I told you before that I don't like you because you're famous or because of who your family is or even for your car – remember?"

"Yes, of course."

"Well, that still stands. And that includes the clothes you are wearing. I like you dressed up _and_ dressed down. Bum or not, you're still you and that's who I like. Okay?"

In answer, Nate pressed a kiss into her hair, and began to sway to the music again. They were silent for a few minutes. Then Nate spoke again, barely loud enough for Lacey to hear him.

"I love you, Lacey."

Lacey froze. Her heart stopped beating, she stopped breathing, she stopped dancing. The world stopped turning and stopped revolving around the sun. Time froze.

Did she really hear what she thought she did? She began to breath again, and her heart started to beat in overtime. She hoped with all her heart that he had said what she though. Lacey tilted her head up to whispered in Nate's ear.

"I hope you just said you love me, Nathan Gray, because I love you, too."

Nate pressed his lips to hers, kissing her lovingly, leaving Lacey more breathless than ever. Finally he pulled away so they could catch their breath.

"I knew you loved me," Nate told her a minute later.

"Excuse me?" Lacey laughed, blushing slightly. "How could you know?"

"That picture. The one of me sleeping. I could tell by looking at it that you loved me."

"Jason could, too," Lacey told him.

"Not fair that Jason saw it before me," Nate said, as though he were making an announcement. "But we can discuss that later – when did you draw that picture?"

Lacey answered, "That night after your Aunt Harriet's birthday party. Remember I covered you with a blanket and you woke up?"

"Oh yeah…" Nate smiled down at her. "You've loved me that long?"

"Longer."

"Well, I loved you ever since you told me that you had almost every flavor of ice cream sugar free."

Lacey laughed. "So you just love me for the ice cream."

"Basically!"

"Well, you know, I just love you for your little brother, so we're even," she teased.

Nate trailed a finger down her cheek, making her shiver. He was staring down at her so intensely that Lacey felt the butterflies flutter in her stomach again. "Just so long as you love me, I'll be happy."

"Same goes for me," Lacey whispered. She slid her hand around Nate's neck and buried her fingers in his hair as she pulled his head down to kiss him. She smiled as their lips met, exalting in the fact that he loved her just as much as she loved him.

All this because of a stupid, broken down car.

_**THE END**_

**A/N: I hope you liked it! I can't thank you enough for all the reviews. Thank you a million times to everyone who read and reviewed, favorited, alerted, etc. You're all incredible. **

**Stay tuned for another JoBro-fan-fic-turned-Camp-Rock-fan-fic coming up soon. And in the meantime, feel free to check out my other stories (Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Naruto, Sims 2 and other good stuff!).**

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**Other places you can find me: **

**Blogger: notafairytale . blogspot ****.com**

**Twitter: notashamed87**

**YouTube: youtube ****.com/notashamed87**** AND /threeblugirls**

**AND….if you've read this far, you deserve to know that crazinessgirl3 has some really amazing Camp Rock fan fics and temari13 has some incredible Naruto and Bleach fan fics. Check out all my favorite authors, they're all good. **

**Okay, I'm shutting up now….**


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